Snapshots
by Raven Wolfmoon
Summary: Takes place after the manga, so SPOILERS! Kyo is waiting anxiously outside of the delivery room where Tohru is about to give birth to their first child when some unexpected visitors arrive to cause a bit of chaos. Series of one-shots that are oh so cute!
1. The Delivery Room

_A/N: Hey everyone! Wow, it's been a while since I posted anything on fanfiction! Usually I'm working on stuff for fictionpress, but my obsession for Fruits Basket changed my mind! I started this awhile ago and only just finished it now, on account of life and my growing obsession for other AMAZING Anime/mangas (cough D. Gray-Man cough), but I can never forget one of my first loves! I also recently bought all of the manga, so I'm looking forward to reading it all again eventually, this time using the hard copies! (And yes, it's not ALL released in the U.S. yet but I just bought volume 22 the other day…GAHH MY FAVORITE CHAPTER IS 130!! KYO IS SO KAWAII!!) _

_Ahem. The idea for this was triggered by my love of the cuteness between all of the characters of Fruits Basket. I love ALL of the cannon pairings, so this story reflects that as well. Which brings me to another point. _

_**SPOILERS WARNING:**__** This story takes place after the manga finishes and even though I would never tell people to NOT read my story, I must make an exception in this case because I would hate to spoil the manga's awesomeness! Seriously, if you haven't read the whole manga series yet, GO DO IT!! IT'S AMAZING!! And once you're done with that, then you can read this story and review it! (And by the way, if you would like to know a worthy site on which you can read the manga, PM me)**_

_With that said, enjoy this rather long one-shot!_

_Oh, and props to my beta, iheartmwpp, for supplying the title of this piece!_

_---_

Chapter 1: The Delivery Room

_1… 2… 3… 4… 5… Is she alright? Should it be taking this long? Why isn't anything happening? What if something goes wrong? Will she be okay?_

The orange-haired man anxiously paced back and forth, staring at the slick, white tiles with eyes that smoldered a conflicted crimson. The atmosphere was stiflingly thick and warm as a smell of disinfectant wafted through the oppressed air. Stark whiteness glared from every direction and allowed no escape. The young man paused to breathe deeply and then increased his gait as he settled into his well-worn tract with new fervor, oblivious to everything around him.

Kazuma Sohma, seated on a chair a few feet away, idly watched his foster son wear a trench into the hospital floor and smiled knowingly. He stretched and shifted his leg positions as the newspaper he was reading made a crumpling sound in his hands. Glancing up for a moment, he chuckled and then decided that he better intervene.

"Kyo, you're blocking the hallway," he advised as he made as if to go over to him.

Kyo snapped out of his stupor and regarded Kazuma dazedly for a moment before resuming his pacing.

"It's a free country. I can walk wherever I want, Shishou" he spat, but a little too quickly, and with a voice that trembled slightly. He balled his hands into fists and shoved them into his jean pockets.

"Really, Kyo, you might want to move—" Kazuma tried again, but it was too late. Kyo smacked right into a nurse walking down the hallway, sending her papers flying. He bent to help her pick them up, muttering a very distracted apology. The nurse eyed him angrily and then gazed up at Kazuma who was shrugging with a grin on his face. Her expression softened as she abruptly recalled what section of the hospital they were in.

"New father?" she directed her question to Kazuma, considering that Kyo wouldn't have heard it even if she had screamed it right in his ear.

Kazuma nodded. "He's a bit nervous," he admitted. Kyo awkwardly stood and jammed the papers back into the nurse's waiting hands. The nurse beamed at him encouragingly and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm sure all will be well. Congratulations!" she added as she continued down the hall.

Instead of taking her words to heart, Kyo sucked in an anxious breath and spewed out an endless stream of words. "There won't be any congratulations if something goes wrong. What if there are problems, complications? What if she—"

Kazuma sighed wearily as he cut through Kyo's panicky ramblings. "Tohru will be just fine, Kyo. Stop worrying. Soon enough you'll be a father and all of this anxiety will be for nothing," he intoned with infinite patience.

Kyo threw his hands into the air impatiently. "But what if I'm not a good father? I mean, I…" He swallowed nervously and stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Maybe I…maybe this shouldn't happen. I…I don't anything about kids! How can I be a good father if I don't even know the first thing about them?" his tortured eyes gazed at Kazuma for answers, who approached the tense young man and put comforting hands on Kyo's shoulders.

"Kyo, do you love Tohru?"

"Yes, of course I do!" he barked back without hesitation.

"Then that is all you need to get you through this. You and Tohru were meant for each other and now you both get to be parents together. I know you will be an excellent father, Kyo. You just need to calm down."

"I am calm!" Kyo yelled, causing a few passersby to give him odd looks.

Kazuma couldn't help but laugh. "Here, come sit with me. It'll be over soon enough." He led Kyo further into the waiting area and sat him down in a seat. As Kazuma picked up his newspaper, Kyo began to fiddle with his fingers and then drummed them on his thighs. Behind his newspaper, Kazuma rolled his eyes.

Just then, Kureno rounded the corner and approached them. Kyo shot out of his chair and practically bolted to his cousin's side, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"What's the news? What's happening? Is something wrong?" Kyo demanded.

Kureno gently extricated himself from Kyo's hawk-like grip. "No, no, everything's fine. Arisa just popped out to tell me that it's almost time now."

"How come Uotani gets to be in there with her? I'm her husband!" Kyo complained, growling under his breath.

"Because childbirth is a woman's thing. Us men should not get involved," Kureno answered plainly. He glanced at Kazuma. "Oh, Saki-chan said to tell you hello."

Kazuma nodded.

"Hanajima's in there too?" Kyo exploded. "The weird psychic girl gets to be in there with Tohru but I can't? I'm her husband!" he sputtered.

Kureno eyed Kazuma. "Has he been like this all day?"

Again, Kazuma nodded.

Kureno chuckled as he sat beside Kazuma.

"Next you're going to be telling me Hatori's in there helping Tohru deliver or something," Kyo was still raging.

"Actually, Hatori declined being Tohru's doctor in this case. I think it would be too embarrassing for him. I did call him, though, to let him know what was going on," Kazuma informed him.

Kyo let out an exaggerated sigh as he began to pace again, unable to sit still for any longer.

"Ha ha! Kyo looks like a big scaredy-cat!" came a sing-song voice. Kyo stiffened as a blond-haired young man not much older than he was skipped into the waiting area and went right up into his face. "Oh, you do look very scared indeed!" Momiji giggled.

Kyo cuffed him on the head and Momiji rubbed the sore spot even as he smiled mischievously.

"So where is Tohru-kun? Can I go see her?" he simpered, bouncing up again.

"No you can't go see her! She's having a baby!" Kyo screamed.

"But Tohru and I are close friends! Surely I'm allowed—"

"No you aren't! Now get out!" Kyo bellowed.

"Momiji, how'd you get here?" Kazuma spoke up.

"Hatori-san brought me!" Momiji answered cheerfully as the man himself came into view. Adorned in a simple suit, Hatori nodded a curt greeting at everyone and, seeing as Kyo was now huddling on the floor rocking back and forth, turned to Kazuma.

"How is she?"

"Tohru? Oh, she's fine. I think Kyo's the one we should be worrying about now," Kazuma declared as all their eyes turned to Kyo.

"I'm surprised he hasn't started pulling his hair out yet!" Momiji cried excitedly.

"Indeed, he looks worse off than I'm sure Tohru is right now," Kureno commented wryly.

"Ah, what a scene, what a scene! A young soon-to-be father on the verge of collapse out of a conflict between sheer terror at his true love's pain and intense happiness at welcoming a child into the world! What is a more splendid event than the one that is unfolding under my very eyes?" proclaimed a powerful, dramatic voice.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that Ayame found out," Hatori stated flatly.

"Uh-oh. I don't know how Kyo's going to handle that…" Kazuma wondered aloud.

"He's going to have to deal with it because, unfortunately, I think Ayame called the entire Sohma clan and told them the news."

"The entire Sohma clan?" Kureno repeated, aghast.

"You'd be surprised and shocked at what Ayame can accomplish in so little time. But anyways, you can be sure that all the Zodiacs will be here soon enough."

"Oh dear…" Kazuma blew air out of his mouth as he regarded his foster son nervously.

Suddenly, Ayame burst onto the scene resplendent in his long fur coat. His silvery hair whirled around him splendidly as his wife, Mine, trailed after him. She pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose and squealed in excitement, her little cute dress and brown curls bouncing with her.

"I'm so excited! I just love children! And Tohru-kun is so beautiful! I'm sure her baby will be so cute!"

Her husband instantly agreed. "Now where is the father-to-be? I have a present for you!" Ayame went over to Kyo and yanked him to his feet. From a bag at his side, Ayame removed a miniature maid's outfit that he shoved into Kyo's hands. "Now, boy or girl, your child will be even prettier than before!" he exclaimed.

Kyo's face turned bright red. "Are you crazy???!!" he screeched as he clenched the small dress in his fists.

"Now, now, no need to get angry. I think Mine and I should be the ones outraged at all this. We weren't even invited to the baby shower!"

"That's because the shower was small and only women were invited!"

"Don't be so harsh, Kyo-kun! You don't need to shout in my ear! Is that any way to practice being a father?" Ayame chided him.

Kyo deflated rapidly as Ayame's words struck home.

Noticing Kyo's sudden crestfallenness, Hatori emitted a long-suffering sigh and went and removed Ayame from Kyo's side.

"Come on, Ayame. Why don't we go wait over here?" he suggested.

Ayame instantly obeyed and Mine was quick to follow.

Kazuma blew out a sigh of relief and flashed an apologetic smile in Kyo's direction. Kyo missed his glance, though, due to his sudden lack of merriment. His jaw tightened as reality hit him again and he felt the urgent desire to pace once more.

"Hey, what's wrong with him?" a voice asked. The party turned to regard the newcomers; a black-haired man with white on the top and his fiancée, a woman with short black hair.

"Hatsuharu, Rin, good to see you," Kazuma greeted them genially.

"Yeah, we came 'cause Rin wanted to see how Tohru was doing," Hatsuharu explained lazily.

Rin blushed. "No, not really!" she spoke defensively.

Hatsuharu shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Well, anyways, I was wondering how Tohru was doing, too, as well as Kyo over there."

Kyo's head snapped up at the mentioning of his name. "Oh. I'm…fine," he stated firmly.

"I can see that," Hatsuharu continued languidly, smiling.

Kyo glared at him. "Really, I'm fine!"

"Really? You sound pretty tense to me. You sure you don't want to let out some of your anger with me right now? You know, throw a few punches here and there?"

"That's a good idea! We should throw a bucket of water on him, too, I know that always used to calm him down!" Momiji suggested.

"This is a hospital!" Kyo reminded them savagely, grinding his teeth in fury. "And I don't need a bucket of water on my head to cool me down! I already told you that I'm perfectly fine!"

The rest of the Sohmas exchanged knowing looks that Kyo pretended to ignore.

"Kyo-kun! Oh no, is everything alright?" came a loud voice. In an instant, a brown-haired young woman was kneeled beside the distraught Kyo with her hand on his forehead. "Are you sick? You don't look very well."

Kyo leaned back, emotionally drained. "Kagura," he said in a warning tone.

Kagura just smiled at him, noting the pleading look in his eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not here to bother you," she told him as a glint suddenly appeared in her eyes. "Although sometimes I do still wish you were mine! We were such a cute couple when we were kids—"

"Tohru and I have been married for several years now!" Kyo reminded her, not too unkindly.

Kagura grinned and nodded slightly. "I know," she said quietly. Suddenly she squeezed Kyo tightly. "BUT I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!" she cried as Kyo struggled beneath her vice-grip.

"Kagura!" Kyo spoke in a muffled voice, seeing as he was sure Kagura had shattered some ribs.

Kagura sniffed as she finally released him. Giving him one last look, she bounced to her feet and awkwardly joined the amassing Sohma family.

Kyo coughed to get his breath back. Although Kagura had almost killed him, she had successfully distracted him…for a few moments.

"Almost everyone's already here!"

Kyo glanced up and saw Kisa and Hiro enter the vicinity, hand-in-hand. Hiro had a disdainful look on his face, even though Kyo could clearly tell he didn't mind being there one bit if Kisa was holding his hand. They had both grown up so much and were on the verge of graduating high school together. They had started dating a few years ago, although Kyo and the rest of the family knew that they had harbored feelings for each other long before that.

Kisa's smile was infectious as she released Hiro's hand and clasped her own hands together before her.

"What a wonderful day," she continued. "Don't you think so, Hiro-kun?"

"Yeah…sure," Hiro agreed hesitantly, although he avoided everyone's gaze in embarrassment.

"I hope you don't mind me being here," she spoke abruptly to Kyo, biting her lip.

Kyo shook his head with an exasperated smile, knowing Tohru's sisterly relationship with the girl. "No, it's fine," he replied shortly, eyeing the rest of the large crowd of Sohmas reproachfully.

"How rude, Kyonkichi! You may not want my gorgeous presence here making you look bad, but I'm sure Tohru-kun does!" Ayame huffed as he noticed Kyo's particularly scornful gaze in his direction. "It's quite impolite to pick favorites anyways, and although Kisa is adorable—" This earned him a sharp look from Hiro, "—favoritism is not something to be encouraged! YUUKIII!!!" Ayame suddenly squealed. Kyo followed Ayame with his eyes as the older man raced up to his younger brother who had just entered the hospital wing with his wife in tow.

Yuki rolled his eyes at his brother and tried to ignore him, but Ayame chatted away amiably anyways.

"Oh my dear Yuki-kun, how lively you look today! And your blushing bride is as cute as ever!"

Machi, her arm linked with Yuki's, blushed furiously. Yuki gave his brother a withering glare but Ayame just took it to heart.

"How gallantly he defends his charming wife! How utterly divine that my dear little brother should follow my shining example!"

Yuki resolutely pushed past Ayame. "Where is that stupid cat?" he wondered aloud, attempting to drown out his brother's voice. Machi glanced at her husband askance and at last sighed, resigning herself to get the explanation for their insistent nicknames for each other some other time.

Kyo peered up at Yuki's back and than narrowed his eyes.

"Right behind you, stupid rat."

Yuki turned around and spotted Kyo crouched on the floor in the corner. He smirked at Kyo's expression. "Your face is as white as a ghost's," he commented absently as Kyo avoided his former enemy's gaze. He assumed a genuine grin at Kyo's discomfiture and turned to nod to his wife.

Timidly, Machi bent down to Kyo and extended her hand. Kyo hadn't noticed that she had been carrying a bag when they entered, so he accepted it with great curiosity. He peeked up at Machi's face, which was still slightly pink, and then slowly opened the bag. Gently, he pulled out a stuffed yellow giraffe with orange spots and a mane and tail made out of yarn.

"I…I didn't know if you liked giraffes…" Machi trailed off unsurely.

Yuki just appeared amused as he jumped to his wife's rescue. "Well, we did find this rather adorable cat plushy, but I told Machi that you hated cats," he explained with a wicked grin.

Kyo snorted as he cracked a smile for the first time that day. He glanced up gratefully at the two of them. "Thank you."

Yuki shook his head and gazed at Machi with loving eyes. "It was Machi's idea."

Kyo nodded at Machi and repeated his thanks.

Machi smiled shyly at him and seemed to gain more courage after locking eyes with husband.

"I mean, I don't know you or Tohru-kun very well, but I thought since we're all related now that maybe I should get you something," she clarified.

"Well, that was very thoughtful of you," Kazuma jumped in, pleased that Kyo had settled down somewhat.

Machi ducked her head as she blushed again. Yuki squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Anyways, how's Tohru doing?" Yuki brought up casually.

Kazuma moaned as Kyo reassumed his panicked expression.

Kyo swallowed dryly. "I…I don't know. Should we go ask the doctors? What if something happened? Normally it doesn't take _this_ long, right??" Kyo glanced at all of their faces anxiously.

Yuki smirked in amusement at Kyo's suddenly fretful behavior. "It's been a while since you've been this worked up," he remarked slyly, but Kyo didn't take the bait. "You weren't even this frantic during your wedding."

"That's because Tohru's life wasn't on the line!" Kyo snapped angrily.

"According to you," Yuki teased. When Kyo's face only blanched further, he decided to take it easy on him. "I'm just kidding. Oh come on. Stop this. Everything will be fine. Do I have to beat some sense into you again?"

Machi frowned at her husband. She had learned a while ago that Yuki and Kyo's relationship was one of life's complicated little puzzles that took a great effort to be solved. As of yet, she was still hopelessly confused.

Before Kyo could reply, Hatsuharu entered the conversation. "Eh, I already volunteered." Yuki cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. Hatsuharu regarded Yuki with a curious expression, "But for you, Yuki, my offer always stands," he whispered suggestively. As Machi's hair stood on end, Rin stepped forward petulantly.

"Excuse me?" she demanded heatedly, glaring at her fiancé.

Hatsuharu laughed. "It was a joke! I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit."

"Well it's clearly working," Hiro muttered, rolling his eyes as Kisa smiled sadly. Kyo was still fitful and seemed to only be getting more agitated.

Kazuma eyed him warily. Just then, a figure rammed into his chest. Kazuma stumbled backward and turned around to come face to face with an aghast Ritsu decked out in a suit and tie.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Ritsu exclaimed, bowing. "I rushed all the way here, hoping I wouldn't be late, but then I came late anyways since everyone's already here, and then I knocked into you and almost killed you on this HAPPY OCCASION!!" Ritsu's voice rose to a hysterical pitch. "I'm so sorry!! I apologize to everyone in the universe! It's all my fault! I'm a useless adult, a worthless, pathetic, useless adult!! I'm so sorry! I'M SO SORRY!!"

Kyo growled as he rubbed his temples, trying to ignore Ritsu's deafening voice. Unfortunately, Ritsu noticed his actions.

"I came late and ruined this wonderful gathering, and now I'm bothering you!! I should just leave and never bother anyone again!! I apologize to the world and—"

"Calm down, Ritsu. It's okay," Kisa soothed gently as she grabbed Ritsu's hand and began to stroke it. Hiro's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Tears were streaming down Ritsu's face as he shook his head. "But I've ruined everything," he pleaded as he hiccupped and clamped a hand over his mouth in horror. "I'm so—"

"Why don't we all just take a deep breath?" Kazuma stepped in with a fake smile, hoping to pacify the situation.

"But if Kyo takes anymore he'll hyperventilate!" Momiji giggled, much to Kyo's annoyance.

Kazuma noticed his foster son's clenched fists and gave the blond a look. Momiji just grinned at him, causing Kazuma to roll his eyes.

This was turning out to be a very long day, although Kazuma knew Kyo was taking the brunt of it. He had been a sack of nerves the moment Tohru had quietly alerted him that she was going into labor. Kazuma hoped that Kyo would realize that all the people gathered around him were not there to be a nuisance (although he could swear that some of them were out to get him…coughMomijicough…) and just wanted to support him and Tohru, whom they loved. The Sohma family was big, loud, obnoxious (especially in the case of Ayame) and overall maddening at times, but their love was there all the same. Tohru had intimately affected all of them, and on this particularly huge day of her life, they wanted to be there by her side like she had been there for them. They also knew that part of supporting Tohru was supporting her husband, the man who never ceased to make her smile. Although Kyo had been an outcast and some of them had treated him as such, they wanted to make amends and truly help him feel part of the family that had rejected him so strongly. This was their way of atoning for their sins, much like Kazuma when he chose to raise Kyo to make up for mistreating his grandfather. And, similarly to his situation, Kazuma knew that they, too, had warmed up to the orange-haired youth and that the reason for their kindness to him no longer verged on the efforts of begging forgiveness. Kyo was a friend, a partner, a cousin. After all, he was a living human being and he deserved just as much happiness as the rest of them now that the curse had been broken. Living through hell had created a bond between them all, and he knew that the rest of them would always be there to comfort each other in times of need.

Of course, Kazuma didn't think Kyo would be able to appreciate the delicacies of the situation at the moment. His foster son was too busy worrying about his beloved wife and the fate of the future. Honestly, Kazuma couldn't really blame him. Kyo had suffered so much in his life that now that he had achieved such happiness – a happiness he had never even imagined – he was terrified that something awful was going to happen to take it all away. It was true that in his young life, Kyo's happiness had been too often ripped away, and it had broken Kazuma's heart to see the boy in such pain. He prayed that fate would not be so cruel this time around, for he didn't think Kyo would be able to bear it.

And if something happened to Kyo, Kazuma knew he would never be the same.

He swallowed and blinked out of his reverie, pushing away the dire thoughts. He glanced around and saw that the Sohmas had moved to the chairs in the waiting area, for which he was grateful since it seemed to have calmed them down. Smiling wanly, he glanced back at his foster son and saw that Kyo was staring off into the distance, his brows knitted together nervously. Kazuma watched him for a moment before his eyes caught movement.

"It won't be much longer now," Kureno announced as he reappeared and sat back down in his original seat.

Kazuma grinned slightly. "I didn't even see you leave," he remarked.

Kureno shrugged. "I just snuck out when there was an opportunity. Oh, and Arisa said that everything's progressing normally, so there's no reason to fret," he smiled ruefully in Kyo's direction. It was hard to tell if Kyo had absorbed the news, but an almost imperceptible nod showed that he had.

"Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?" Momiji asked innocently, eyeing each person's face eagerly.

"No. We wanted it to be a surprise," Kyo choked out stiffly. Kazuma struggled to hide his grin at the irony.

"What about names? Have you thought of any?" Kisa spoke up, fairly bouncing in her seat with excitement.

Kyo opened his mouth to reply when he was cut off by a malicious voice.

"You!"

As one, the Sohmas turned to stare open-mouthed at a man in a business suit with short black hair practically frothing at the lips in rage. His eyes bulged out of his head as he glared lividly at Kyo.

Kyo, in turn, had his eyes fixed on the man with an expression of surprise and confusion.

Kazuma recognized the man and rose to his feet angrily. "Takeshi, what do you want?" he demanded in a strong voice, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Takeshi laughed insanely. "Why should I answer you, Kazuma?" he spat. He glanced at the older man briefly before fixing his penetrating gaze on Kyo. "I had heard that my worthless son got married to some whelp, but I didn't know it had gone this far!"

There was a cacophony of protests and raised voices as a number of the Sohmas furiously jumped to their feet. Kyo's voice, however, surpassed them all with sheer volume and ferocity.

"_**Don't**_ talk about my wife like that!" Kyo hissed, his body literally quivering with rage. His eyes burned intensely.

His father only laughed. "Fine," he agreed. "We'll talk about your baby and how you will inevitably ruin its life as you've ruined so many others!" Takeshi smiled sickeningly when he saw Kyo stiffen. "I can't believe anyone would agree to marry a monster like you, not after what you've done! You killed your mother in cold blood, and it's all your fault!" Kyo's eyes flashed as his father pressed on. "You're a monster! You don't deserve happiness! You should've been locked away, before you had the chance to spawn—" Takeshi's accusations stopped when he thought he heard Kyo speak. His lips curved into a sneer as he eyed his son, who was still shaking madly.

"Get out," Kyo whispered vehemently, concentrating on the floor in an attempt to suppress the urge to kill the man on the spot.

"You cannot order me, you—"

"I said GET OUT!" Kyo screamed as he raised his eyes and released the full force of his emotions. His eyes were practically blazing with hatred. "How DARE you come here to destroy one of the happiest days of my life?!" he seethed. By this time, everyone's attention was locked onto him. Kyo continued, undeterred. "I know how much you want to blame me for Mom's death, but that's only because you're weak and can't stand that you were the one really at fault! You shunned her because she was protecting me, the monster, because she loved me! It was you who made her walk into the oncoming train, you who drove her away! I can't be blamed for the way I was born and the way I lived, and I can't be blamed now for loving someone and being happy!"

The entire area had been shocked to silence, and it seemed that no one dared to breathe. There were a few tense moments of absolute quiet before Kyo resumed his tirade. He was by no means done, but his tone of voice had dimmed somewhat.

"As for a being a father, I would never take after you! You were a horrible father to me, you pitiful old man! Shishou is my real father, and I'm proud to be his son! I only hope that I can follow his example," his voice trailed off shakily. Behind him, Kazuma had to suppress tears at the enormous lump that had formed in his throat.

Takeshi was outraged. He stepped forward threateningly. "You little—" he snarled viciously. He could go no further, however, since a furious Yuki and a black Haru blocked him.

"I think you should leave," Yuki said coolly.

"Before I punch your face in, you bastard!" Haru added, accentuating his words by punching a fist into his hand.

Takeshi glared at them for a moment before he burst out laughing. "These two are actually _defending_ you?" he spoke disbelievingly, laughing even harder.

Suddenly, Yuki and Haru felt a hand on their shoulders. They turned and eyed a pleasantly smiling Kazuma.

"Excuse me," Kazuma said as he lightly brushed between the boys. Yuki and Haru exchanged confused glances, wondering as to Kazuma's strange demeanor. Kazuma approached Takeshi with the smile still on his face. "Now, I do believe you were asked to leave," he simpered calmly.

Takeshi looked equally, if not more, perplexed. Finally, he chose to assume a suspicious expression. "I have the right to be here," he growled.

Kazuma just smiled away. "No, I'm quite sure you don't. You might want to leave before something happens that you will not like."

"Are you threatening me?" Takeshi spat into his face.

"Oh no, it's not a threat. It's a promise," Kazuma stated pleasantly.

Takeshi just stared at him. At last, he sneered. "Why would you defend a monster like him? He doesn't deserve—"

"I said GET AWAY FROM MY SON!" Kazuma bellowed as he socked the grinning old man right in the jaw, sending him reeling to the ground. Takeshi lay on the tiled floor in shock for a moment, pathetically pressing his hand to his bleeding lip. He glared up at Kazuma and then cringed as the Sohma stepped forward challengingly. Under the hateful glares of the entire Sohma family, Takeshi feebly stumbled to his feet and retreated down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Kyo had sunken back into a chair, exhausted. All of his breath seemed to have left him and he was shaking so badly he was positive that the chair was rattling beneath him.

Kazuma massaged his right hand before turning back to his foster son. He noted, with some trepidation, that Kyo had turned even whiter than before.

"Kyo, are you alright?" he asked gently.

Kyo swallowed and nodded slightly. "Y-Yeah," he said tremulously. Then, a little louder and with a small grin spreading over his features, "That was a nice right hook, Shishou."

Kazuma blinked and laughed as he settled next to Kyo. "Well, it was an easy target," he mused aloud, causing Kyo to chuckle further.

"Aww, we didn't miss everything did we?" whined a voice. Everyone turned to see Shigure appear before them, Akito right on his heels. The novelist was resplendent in his usual, loose-robed attire and Akito was done up in a simple sundress. She eyed the group hesitantly and dropped her gaze to the ground when she saw that some of the former Zodiacs still stiffened in her presence.

Shigure noticed Akito's behavior and strove to overcome it. "What was all that commotion about?" he asked boisterously. "We heard screaming from all the way down the hall!"

Ayame leapt to his feet. "Oh, it was utterly splendid! Such a scene played out right before my very eyes!" Everyone began to speak at once as Ayame began to describe the event with as many exaggerated details as he could, exciting Shigure to the point of a frenzy.

Amongst the fervor, Akito uncertainly glanced upward and met Kyo's eyes. Kyo just gazed at her for a moment as she eyed him in return. Kyo knew she was trying very hard to make up for her past wrongs, and he couldn't really fault her for being there on account of her and Tohru's friendship. Not to mention the fact that Kyo and Tohru's child was the first of the next generation of Sohmas, and it was even more important since the curse was no longer in effect. He broke the gaze when he heard Yuki muttering beside him.

"Oh for the love of—" Yuki shook his head, sighing wearily at his brother's ridiculous antics. He rolled his eyes and nodded in Shigure's direction. "Better late than never, I suppose," he grumbled.

Kyo grunted in reply.

All of a sudden, the crowd dispersed as a girl dressed in black with long, curly black hair stepped into the room.

"I sensed some negative waves and heard distressed shouting. But I guess it has dissipated," Hanajima spoke in her eerie tone of voice.

"That's good," Uotani muttered, trailing behind her. "Now where is Kyon-Kyon?"

Kyo frowned at them, wondering what was going on. "What—?" he started, but was interrupted.

"There you are! Now, congratulations! Tohru's fine, and you're the father of a beautiful and healthy baby girl!"

Before Kyo could say anything, Uotani had placed his daughter in his arms. For the first time, Kyo was able to see her face, and he felt his chest constricting. She was so small, about the size of his forearm, and she weighed almost nothing, but he cradled her as if she were the most fragile thing in the world. In turn, his daughter gazed up at him curiously with Tohru's soft brown eyes, and Kyo saw that peeking up from under the blanket was a shock of his own orange hair. In that moment, when father and daughter bonded for the first time, Kyo realized that nothing else mattered except for the tiny bundle of life in his arms. Suddenly, his past vanished and everything that he had suffered seemed completely inconsequential. Lost in the depths of his daughter's clear eyes, Kyo felt all of his pending rage and frustration, guilt and shame, fear and sorrow melt away into the distance. All was replaced by an enormous surge of love that suffused his entire being so utterly that he felt like he was glowing. In fact, he was quite sure that he was. Nothing so strong had ever gripped him in such a way, and he was at a complete loss of words to describe his emotions.

It took him a moment to realize that, while he had been so mesmerized, the rest of the family had gathered around him and were all ogling at his precious daughter.

"She looks so much like Tohru onee-chan!" Kisa exclaimed, edging closer for a better look.

"Although she has that unruly patch of orange hair!" Ayame declared shrilly.

All of the noises and strange sights began to make the newborn whimper and fidget slightly, causing Kyo a momentary panic as he readjusted his hold on her. Almost instinctively, he began to swing her back and forth, shushing softly.

"It's okay," he reassured her in a tender voice. "Daddy's here. Nothing's going to happen to you." A smile broke out on Kyo's face as his daughter seemed to concentrate solely on his voice and his face. He started a little when suddenly a drop of water splashed onto his daughter's forehead and she let out a whine.

"Hey, you're hogging her!" Uotani cut in playfully as Kyo glanced up for the first time. Surprisingly, as he stared out at his beaming family, he realized that tears were pouring down his face. He couldn't even remember when he had started crying, but he quickly ducked his head, his face turning red.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed!" Uotani admonished in a thick voice as Kyo met her eyes and saw that they were red and puffy. She sniffed and grinned at him, which he returned. She held out her arms and reluctantly, Kyo relinquished his daughter. His eyes trailed her anxiously before he felt a pat on his shoulder. He glanced up at Kazuma, his Shishou, whose eyes were shining with pride.

"I'm so happy for you," he voiced aloud as he attempted but failed to dislodge the lump in his throat.

"I can't even…believe it," Kyo replied haltingly.

Beside him, Yuki sighed and smiled. "I suppose this is what it'll be like when we have ours," he stated, eyeing his blushing bride.

Kyo glanced at him. "You're—?"

"Expecting?" Yuki finished, and then nodded. "We just found out a little while ago. I'm trying to keep it on the down-low though so we have the most possible time to prepare for Ayame's reaction." His lips twisted into a wry grin even as his eyes sparkled.

"Congratulations. Although don't expect me to go easy on you when _you're _freaking out…stupid rat," Kyo told him sincerely.

"We'll just have to see about that, you stupid cat," Yuki answered immediately, grinning.

Hanajima pushed her way to where Kyo was. She eyed him spookily for a moment. "Come on, now. Don't you want to see your wife?" she asked impatiently.

Kyo nodded but couldn't help stretching out his neck to see where his daughter was. "But what about—?"

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her," Kazuma promised.

Kyo grinned at him. "You'd better. You're an ojii-san now."

Kazuma blinked and then smiled widely before assuming a serious expression. It was his duty now to protect his first grandchild.

Kyo chuckled as he followed Hanajima out of the crowd.

When they entered the hospital room, Kyo panicked for a moment. Machines were beeping all around and there were nurses and doctors bustling around. As he came in, some of the hospital staff gave him congratulatory smiles while others eyed him curiously, considering the strange commotion they had heard outside. Kyo didn't notice anything, though, except for his wife.

Tohru's face brightened into a wide smile as she saw him. Even though she was overjoyed at seeing him, Kyo could tell how exhausted she was. Her eyelids were drooping and her hair was clumpy and matted around her face. He could tell that she was trying very hard to keep the smile on her face.

As he came to her bedside and clutched her hand, he could feel the remnants of cold sweat on her skin. Tenderly, he leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead, wiping away some remaining beads of perspiration that clung to her brow.

"My beautiful Tohru," he whispered as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. He kissed her again, this time on the lips. It was short but all the more sweet.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru mumbled, still straining to maintain the façade for his sake.

Kyo smiled at her and lightly grazed his fingertips over her face. Tohru sighed and leaned into his hand.

"Rest," he ordered her gently, squeezing her hand. "What you did today was…absolutely incredible." Kyo felt his throat constricting and fought to suppress another batch of tears. "She's perfect Tohru, and so are you. I'm so lucky to have the both of you."

Tohru shook her head slowly. "No, I'm the lucky one." She reached up and affectionately stroked his cheek. "Were you worried?" she asked quietly.

Kyo grinned wryly. "You have no idea," he admitted, chuckling softly. At the flash of worry in Tohru's eyes, he hurriedly continued, "But luckily Shishou was there to keep me in one piece. It got a little…crazy…after the whole family showed up."

Tohru's eyes widened. "The whole family? Was that what that loud commotion was?"

Kyo swallowed and nodded. "Partially," he murmured with a strained smile. Tohru's concerned eyes immediately swallowed him in their depths. He sighed. "My…father came."

"Your father?" Tohru repeated curiously. He could tell she was mulling over the possible reasons for the man's appearance. "What did he want?" Even though she asked, she saw that Kyo's sudden expression meant that the news wasn't good.

"He…yelled and said some pretty awful things," Kyo confessed, his jaw tightening. When he saw Tohru grow even more concerned despite her weariness, he berated himself. "Don't worry," he added hurriedly. "I'm fine as long as I have you." He gazed at her lovingly as he squeezed her hand, causing her to smile. "Besides, Shishou gave him a pretty solid punch that made up for it."

Tohru's eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright. "What??!!"

Kyo laughed at her shocked face. "He deserved it," he explained. Then his face grew solemn as she settled back into the bed. "Yuki and Haru helped out, too." At this, he elicited another smile from Tohru. He knew that she was ecstatic that he and Yuki were getting along. "Anyways, everyone was really worried about you, Tohru."

Tohru blushed. "E-everyone? They're all here?" she stammered. "I didn't mean to interrupt everyone's lives just for—"

"There's no way they would've stayed away," Kyo cut in. "Not after Ayame called them all to tell them the news."

Tohru giggled as she blinked tiredly and leaned back into the pillows. "Even Akito-san is here?" she asked after a short pause.

Kyo nodded. "Mmhmm. She and Shigure came together. As for everyone else, I bet they're all anxious to see you by now, although they're pretty preoccupied with our daughter." The phrase 'our daughter' made him have to blink fiercely. He grinned. "Her grandfather's looking out for her now," he assured her.

Tohru smiled. "Our daughter," she repeated dreamily.

Kyo swallowed a lump in his throat. He nodded and wondered how much more emotional he could get. "Our…daughter," he choked up. "And I think the name we picked out fits perfectly."

Tohru blinked back her own tears of joy and then closed her eyes, growing sleepy.

Kyo patted her hand. "I suppose I'll leave you to rest," he spoke at last, reluctantly standing up to leave.

"Kyo-kun?"

"Could you bring her in here, and also get Akito-san for me?"

Kyo couldn't help but frown at the mentioning of Akito's name, but he respected his wife's wishes. He turned to leave and went by Hanajima who was leaning in the doorway. She sniffed at him but managed a smile. He awkwardly patted her shoulder in thanks, knowing that Tohru was grateful for her friends' presence during the delivery. In return, Hanajima nodded and a tacit agreement passed between them. They both understand the other's necessary existence in Tohru's life, and knew that they would always be there to support her when she needed it.

---

Meanwhile, Momiji had noticed his cousin's movement and made as if to follow Kyo into Tohru's hospital room. He was yanked backward, however, by Hatsuharu. The black-and-white-haired youth gave him a knowing look and Momiji's eager expression deflated into sorrow.

He sighed sadly. "Tohru's really gone," he said in a haunted voice.

"She never really was yours," Hatsuharu stated bluntly.

Momiji winced. "I know. I just…had this lingering hope…" he protested feebly.

A hand on his shoulder made Momiji jump, and he turned to see Hatori standing above him. "Don't worry," the older man began in a deep yet soft voice. "I'm sure you'll find someone else that will love you as much as you love her, and I won't doubt that you'll feel the same way. It just…takes some time."

Knowing Hatori's past, it was wise counsel and Momiji found his spirits lifting. Who was he, after all, to bring down such a joyous occasion? He smiled gratefully at his cousins and then bounced into the crowd. "I wanna hold her, I wanna hold her!" he squealed. Hatori just smiled as Rin approached Hatsuharu and curled her hand into his.

"Hey Ritsu," Haru called as he noticed the frantic Sohma on the edge of the crowd. "Why aren't you jumping in?"

Ritsu looked at Hatsuharu, appalled. "I…I would just make a mess of things," he said quietly, glancing at his feet.

"Oh, come on. Grow some balls, man. You look great today and you surely want to build up your courage so you can impress your date later."

Ritsu glanced down at his suit and then felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks as his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, obviously stunned into speechlessness.

Hatsuharu chuckled and then glanced around as a silence suddenly fell upon the waiting area.

Kagura, who was holding the baby, was offering it to a clearly frightened Akito.

"Don't you want to hold her?" Kagura asked gently.

Akito swallowed heavily, her eyes darting back and forth. She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "I-I don't think I should—"

"And why not?" Shigure brought up, squeezing her tightly. He gave her a meaningful look which she tried to protest, but under his gaze, it was impossible.

Akito knew that, although most of the Sohmas had openly forgiven her, there were still a few that remained cold. Namely, when her eyes passed over Rin, the girl looked away and tightened her hold on Hatsuharu's hand. Akito sighed. No one wanted to see her do this, all except for the idiot Shigure that claimed to love her. Even Kureno and Yuki, her two favorites, were distracted by their respective girlfriend and wife and were pointedly not paying attention to the situation at hand.

"Come on, Akito-san," encouraged Momiji as he materialized beside her.

"I—" she started but before she could protest any further, Kagura had placed the baby in her arms. Although the tiny newborn did not have as much an effect on Akito as she had on Kyo, Akito still felt her heart stirring as she looked into the clear and innocent baby's eyes. That such purity existed in the world was enough to give her hope that maybe life wasn't all that bad. Maybe she really could get another chance, and if she tried hard enough, maybe eventually everyone would forgive her. Akito gasped when, all of a sudden, the little girl yawned widely and began to squirm. Akito froze in horror, afraid to drop the girl, when Momiji reached out and gently took the baby off Akito's hands.

Akito retreated as if scared, and backed straight up into Shigure who wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

He bent down to chuckle in her ear. "Ah, anata, she can't hurt you, I'm sure."

Akito frowned and lowered her head, ashamed.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed," Shigure purred as he squeezed her.

Akito squirmed uncomfortably in his grasp, thinking that everyone was watching her. Instead, when she looked up, all the attention had returned to the new baby who was cooing adorably. Akito blinked as a strange feeling hit her.

"Will things…ever get better?" she choked suddenly, feeling as if she had been abandoned. The darkness seemed to close in around her and she was on the verge of tears. Why did she still feel this way? It had been years since the curse had broken, and yet she still felt that a part of her had been ripped away. A piece of her was missing, leaving her broken and more alone than ever. For some reason, even Shigure's presence was not a solace. She knew that he couldn't really love her, not after all she had done.

She blinked when Shigure's face was abruptly in front of her own, his expression soft and eyes kind.

"You're trembling," he whispered as he cupped her chin in his hand.

Akito shook her head to try to break the embrace while also stubbornly holding back her tears. "W-we shouldn't have come," she cried brokenly. Why wouldn't this pain go away? Why couldn't she forgive herself?

"Akito?"

She jumped when she heard Kyo's voice, and she raised her head to meet his eyes. He appeared uncomfortable addressing her so directly at first, but he quickly mastered control of himself.

"Y-yes?" she stammered.

"Tohru is asking for you."

As Akito bit her lip helplessly, Kisa sidled up to Kyo.

"What about the rest of us? Can we see Tohru onee-chan?" she asked eagerly.

Kyo smirked. "Sorry, but she's pretty worn out. I think visiting her tomorrow would be better."

Kisa sighed in disappointment, but Kyo ruffled her hair affectionately.

"You can spend as much time with her as you like tomorrow," he promised, watching the girl's face light up. "The same goes for the rest of you," he announced to the rest of the group. There came a chorus of let down voices and finally through the crowd appeared Kazuma cradling his granddaughter fondly.

Kyo's breath hitched in his throat as he gazed at her. The rest of the world just seemed to disappear in her presence, and he found that he still couldn't believe that she was his. How could he have gotten so lucky?

Kazuma smiled at Kyo's reaction. "She's a bit sleepy," he warned him as he carefully handed over his granddaughter.

Kyo took the girl in his arms. His daughter moaned for a second before nuzzling into his body. Kyo had trouble swallowing as he murmured, "She's not the only one," he murmured, thinking of Tohru. He bent down to plant a kiss on his daughter's forehead and lightly snuffled into her orange hair, inhaling her sweet scent. She was his. Life truly was an amazing gift. All of those tense months of waiting, wondering if everything would turn out alright, wondering what she would look like, wondering if he would be prepared enough, they all seemed so far away. Peace and utter happiness were the only emotions that permeated his being; that and some weariness, for he had been particularly stressed all day… Kyo thanked all the gods in whatever heavens existed that all of his worries had been for naught and that he had been given this chance. It really was a miracle, not only that his daughter existed, but also that he was able to hold her, to truly hold her in his arms. He had never known the true meaning of hugs until the curse had broken and he had been standing with the woman he loved in his arms. To feel her warm and soft skin pressed against his chest had changed everything. That Tohru felt safe enough and comfortable enough to be so close to him had made all the difference, and he had never known that love could be so strong. Now, with his daughter curled in his arms, he felt that same overpowering feeling that had chased away the darkness for all of eternity. He knew life would never be the same for him, but he didn't care. He would never go back to the way it was, before his two shining beacons had rescued him from the shadows of despair. Never.

As Kyo walked back to the room, the Sohma clan unwittingly bade him their congratulations and goodbyes. Kyo vaguely heard Kazuma invite whoever lived too far away to room up with him at his dojo so they could all make the trip back to the hospital the next day.

Smiling wryly, he reentered Tohru's room. Uotani and Hanajima were hugging their friend tightly and were crying into each other's hair. When they finally straightened, they each gave Kyo a long look and departed. On the way out, Uotani patted Kyo's shoulder and looked him straight in the eye.

"Take care of her, Kyon-Kyon."

He nodded seriously as she whispered goodbye to his daughter and then skipped after her friend. Suddenly, he remembered that Akito was supposed to be with him, and he turned around to see her shyly lingering behind him. Too happy to realize what he was doing, he gave Akito a wide, unabashed smile. Akito timidly smiled in return, surprised, as Kyo nodded at Tohru, indicating that she should go ahead of him.

Akito went to Tohru's bedside after drawing a deep breath. She glanced at the door and caught Shigure's eye as he waited for her patiently.

"Hello…Tohru."

Tohru's eyelids fluttered and Akito immediately felt bad for keeping her awake when she looked so exhausted. Still, Tohru's smile was genuine and it made Akito's heart skip a beat.

"Akito-san, I'm so glad to see you here!"

Akito stumbled a bit at this, overcome by Tohru's infinite kindness. "It was…no problem really. Although I think I spoiled everything—"

"Nonsense!" Tohru interrupted her with uncharacteristic intensity. "Like I said, I'm really glad you came and I'm sure everyone else was happy to see you, too! I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry we haven't talked in a while. I've been a bit busy, what with the baby coming and all…"

Akito stared at her, aghast. Why was _Tohru_ apologizing to _her_?

"You know, I missed you," the other girl finished at last.

Akito bit her lip to keep from crying. "I…I missed you too," she confessed as she instinctively reached out to hold Tohru's hand.

"Once we're settled at home, I would love for you to come and visit. Actually, we _all_ would love for you to come, all three of us," Tohru emphasized. She and Akito turned to glance at Kyo who nodded in agreement.

"I would…like that very much," Akito choked out. Tohru squeezed her hand and sighed wearily. "Thank you," Akito whispered. "But I should probably leave you all alone. You've had a…busy day."

Tohru nodded as Akito exited the room, waving a tear-filled goodbye. Once outside, she was engulfed by Shigure and they walked down the corridor, hand-in-hand.

Kyo sighed when she was finally gone. At last, peace and quiet! As he went to Tohru, she stretched out her arms and in them he placed their daughter. Mother and daughter snuggled into each other on the verge of sleep, and Kyo couldn't help but just watch them with a smile on his face. This was his family. He still had trouble believing that it was all real, and that this wasn't just some wonderful dream. But when he saw their peaceful, dozing expression and knew that he would get to see them for the rest of his life, his heart nearly burst out of his chest.

"Kyo-kun?" Tohru mumbled.

"What is it, love?" he whispered beside her.

"Come…lay with me…" she murmured.

Kyo swallowed. He hadn't planned to stay at the hospital overnight, but the thought of going back to Kazuma's dojo which was full of Sohmas was not very appealing. Shrugging off his concerns, he moved onto the bed and curled up next to his wife and daughter. Wrapping a secure arm around them both, he hugged them closer to him. All of a sudden, fatigue hit him and he felt his own eyelids drooping. But before he could fall asleep he had to do one thing. Leaning forward, he planted gentle kisses on the brow of those he loved most in the world.

"Goodnight Tohru. Goodnight Kyoko," he whispered softly. With that, the three Sohmas fell into a deep, undisturbed slumber and shared their first moment together in their dreams.

_A/N: AWWW!! I had so much fun writing the absolutely adorable parts, particularly Kyo's thoughts as he holds his daughter for the first time. My beta teared up when she read it, and as evil as it sounds, I hope you did too, haha! I love to bring across emotions, and I'm so utterly in love with the cuteness of a man waiting impatiently for a woman he loves to give birth to his child. It was such an adorable idea that I couldn't help but write it, Fruits Basket- style! I have to say that I also enjoyed writing for some of the other characters, especially Ayame! When I first started this, I had no idea that I would get so deep into the other characters' perspectives, but I wanted to give readers a sense of how all of them have adapted to life without the curse. And of course, I also wanted to advertise the relationships that I love!_

_Fruits Basket means a lot to me, and I have a lot of ideas for even more cute and fluffy moments, which has made me wonder if I should make this a series of one-shots. I suppose I will have to see what people say in reviews and if I so feel like it. At the moment, I definitely want to add another scene which came into my head soon after this one, but it all depends on how much time I have, especially since I'm heading back to college tomorrow. So yes, we'll see where this goes!_

_For now, I hope you liked it and please review! _


	2. Snow And Spring

_A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks so much for your reviews guys! Of course I couldn't just leave the cuteness with the last chapter, so here you go; a present for my lovely reviewers!! I have tons of images of future scenes in my head, and they're all going to be amazingly adorable because I just can't help it, so there'll definitely be more chapters coming! I don't know how frequently I'll update, but hopefully you won't mind that this chapter is about half the length as the previous! Enjoy!! (Wow, I just ended all of those sentences with exclamation points…!!)_

Chapter 2: Snow And Spring

It was hard to believe that six months had already passed since Kyoko's birth. Instead of the tiny newborn he could fit into the crook of his arms, Kyoko had turned into a bouncing, rolling ball of energy who couldn't seem to get enough attention. Now when Kyo held her, she squirmed and wriggled and he was amazed at how fast she had grown. She weighed twice as much as her birth weight, and although her baby fat remained intact, it was far more evident on her face when she smiled her wide, toothless grins. Kyo found that he never got tired of seeing her smile, and was always coming up with new ways to make her laugh or squeal with delight. She was an absolute joy…for the most part.

As Kyo and Tohru had discovered early on, being new parents wasn't as easy as it was cracked up to be. They had passed many sleepless nights after bringing her home for the first time, and although that had improved slightly, teething had proved to be something different entirely. Kyoko handled it in her own fashion and was at times particularly difficult to deal with, though for the most part she just needed to be distracted. It didn't take much to get her mind on something else. She was curious about everything – Tohru had laughed as she remarked that Kyoko had retained some of her father's "curious cat" instincts – and she never got tired of exploring. Toys were some of her favorite things, since Kyoko had quickly learned that their uses varied. For example, a cereal ring could be chewed upon to relieve her aching gums, or it could be a bracelet, or it could be a good fetch toy for a certain orange-haired father.

Of course, she had an ultimate toy that had to be in the same room with her at all times or she would put up a fuss. The yellow, orange-spotted giraffe remained her constant companion in the best and worst situations, and had endured somewhat of a beating in its first few months of existence with Kyoko. Kyo had lost count of how many times Tohru had had to wash the thing, and this had provoked Kyo to ask Yuki and Machi where they had gotten it from so they could purchase another as a back-up. Nevertheless, Kyoko loved the giraffe and seemed to have a certain name for it; Tohru and Kyo roughly translated it to "Babu."

Kyo could well remember when Tohru had referred to the stuffed animal in such a way. He had just come home from work and had arrived to find her fiendishly picking up the living room. It looked like a tornado had just lay ruin to everything. Toys were scattered in every direction and Tohru looked like a madwoman as she strove to clean everything up while Kyoko was napping, even though it was likely that Kyoko would probably just throw things everywhere all over again once she was fully recharged. Kyo had stepped in the door and had come face to face with his wife who looked like she could definitely use some sleep. Her eyes were slightly puffy and flyaway strands of hair were sticking out all over the place. Having been tired himself, he had barely processed when she had spoken to him.

"Kyo-kun, could you put Babu in the wash for me while I get ready to prepare dinner?"

Kyo had nodded absentmindedly before frowning. "Babu?" he whispered to himself, eyeing his wife with a raised eyebrow, wondering if she had seriously lost it.

When he didn't move after a few minutes, Tohru glanced over at him. In the next instant, she was in his arms and regarding him with worry.

"Are you alright?" she asked, putting a hand on his forehead.

Kyo smiled, still amazed that she could care about someone else's wellbeing when she was clearly on the verge of crumpling into an exhausted heap.

"I'm fine. I just…did you say Babu? What on earth is that?"

Tohru blinked at him and then her shoulders slumped in relief. She began to giggle tiredly.

"Kyoko's giraffe. I figured that he should have a name, and that's what she seems to call him."

Kyo chuckled as Tohru collapsed into a fit of weary giggles. He held her tightly, breathing into her hair as she laughed into his chest. Kissing the top of her head, he spoke up gently.

"Why don't you go get some sleep? I'll make dinner and finish cleaning up around here."

Tohru looked up at him and was about to refuse his offer when he gave her a knowing look and, with a resigned sigh, she turned and headed to the bedroom for a nap.

That memory was certainly an amusing one, and it made him reflect on his life once more. Offering to make dinner had been a new thing for him once he and Tohru had moved into their new house together. It was a modest-sized thing, and they had bought it with a significant amount of help from the Sohma family. Kyo had tried to refuse their generosity but Kazuma, for one, was insistent on helping the new family start their life together.

Kyo and Tohru had chosen the house for a number of reasons. The first was that it was a good enough distance away from the main Sohma compound to let Kyo breathe a little. He had wanted to get away, and since it was only about a half an hour from Kazuma's dojo, it seemed the perfect distance. Another reason was due to the relatively large plot of land on which it was situated. Kyo and Tohru had discussed their future options, and they had decided on a place with enough room for a possible addition, since it was Kyo's goal to start his own dojo.

For the time being, he worked with Kazuma as an assistant trainer. Although the older man didn't appear old, he was actually nearing his fifties and having a younger man instruct the always energetic pupils was a big help. Even though Kyo knew that his surrogate father would not hesitate to pass the dojo on to him, Kyo desperately wanted to live his own life and start from scratch. He felt like he still needed to prove something to the world and, as a bonus, building the addition certainly allowed him to research different fields, like architecture, while simultaneously helping him build and exercise his muscles. Plus, it felt great to be working with his hands outdoors, building something for his family. He felt proud of his accomplishments, and having his wife there only helped to lift his spirits even more.

In the first few years of their life together, before and after marriage, Tohru had truly stepped up to be every man's desired housewife. Kyo, of course, had never had any doubts that she would fill the position to the greatest extent, and every time she brought out some lemonade while he was taking a break, or even helped him pound some nails into the wood, he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

After Kyoko was born, it was only natural that she would assume motherhood. Indeed, she seemed destined to be a mother. Even before when she had been a maid in Shigure's house, she had been like a mother to all of them. It came as no surprise, then, when this ability transcended into her care for her daughter. She seemed to always know what Kyoko wanted, and Tohru once confided in Kyo that she sensed a bond with her daughter that reminded her of the one she had had with her own mother. Kyo's throat had constricted at that thought, and wondered if Tohru's mother truly had reincarnated in her namesake.

Becoming a father, on the other hand, had been a bit more of a process for Kyo. When Tohru had first told him that she was pregnant, his stomach had dropped even as his brain had melted. It was the simultaneous feeling of fear and elation that stymied his excitement the first few weeks or so, but he got over that pigheadedness after seeing the first images of Kyoko on the ultrasound. He had decided that, at that point, he would become the best father he could. With Tohru's and other members of the Sohma family's help, the nursery was painted, furnished and well-stocked, and all Kyo had left to do was settle his racing mind.

He had been a wreck on the day Kyoko was born, although when she was finally in his arms, his fears had vanished. Unfortunately, once they got home, he began to second guess himself. He worried that everything he did was done in the wrong way, and that it would make a huge impact on Kyoko's future. It had all culminated in one final moment when Tohru had had to go out for the evening, leaving Kyoko solely in his care. Tohru had left him the task of giving Kyoko a bath and putting her to bed, and although Kyo had helped Tohru in this area, he had never done it by himself.

So, with shaking hands, he had filled the tub with a small amount of water, undressed his daughter and placed her into it on her back. He had gently starting scrubbing her with a soft sponge when she had let out a squeal that made him drop the sponge in alarm. As he stared at her face in anxiety, he realized that dropping the sponge so suddenly had sprayed drops of water in his face, and a piece of hair above his forehead had gotten soaked. He grimaced as water dripped onto his nose and then nearly had a heart attack when Kyoko began to laugh hysterically at his expression. His eyes widened as Kyoko giggled insanely and then stopped to eye him curiously. Kyo frowned and then made that grimace again, causing Kyoko to explode with laughter. He found himself laughing with her as he intentionally splashed more water on his face to ignite the same reaction.

When bath time was finally over, Kyo realized that his daughter's laughter had completely erased his nervousness. He felt perfectly at ease as he dried and dressed her in some pajamas. Kyoko stared at him with huge eyes as he settled into the rocking chair, deciding that he wanted to spend just a little more time bonding with his daughter. As he held her and began to rock gently, he recalled passing by the room when Tohru was telling Kyoko the same story of the Zodiac animals that her mother had told her. Smiling wistfully, Kyo decided to embark on a similar tale, although this time with a different thread. Concentrating on the true story of the cat, Kyoko watched him with rapt attention until her eyelids began to close. At last, Kyo stood and tenderly placed her into her crib.

When they had first brought her home, he had spent a countless amount of time just watching her sleep, marveling at the infinite peace etched into her face. Even now, after their perfect night together, he wasn't tired of it. It wasn't until Tohru came home nearly an hour later that he finally left his daughter's room to tell his wife how their evening had gone.

It had been a few months since then, and Kyo couldn't even begin to count the number of 'firsts' that Kyoko had experienced in such a short time. She was already sitting up on her own and babbling incessantly in her own language. Kyo had laughed when Kyoko first noticed herself in the mirror and had had a long, intense conversation with the new 'friend' she had discovered there.

Kyo smiled as he recalled the memory, and then used his hand to wipe his sweaty brow. He was in the process of finishing the frame for the addition while Tohru was keeping an eye on Kyoko. Tohru was currently showing Kyoko around the yard and naming things for their daughter, who attempted to repeat her mother's utterances to the best of her ability.

"That's a window. Can you say 'window'? It's actually a bit of a difficult word to say, so perhaps not… But oh look! A bumblebee! Can you say 'bumblebee'?"

Kyoko gurgled in response and squirmed fitfully in her mother's arms. Tohru huffed as she readjusted Kyoko's weight.

"You're getting heavy!" she laughed lightly as Kyoko pointed to Kyo across the yard.

Tohru smiled. "And that's Daddy. Can you say 'Daddy'?"

"Babbi!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Yes, Kyoko! Babbi!" Tohru echoed. Glancing at Kyo, she repeated it with vigor. "Babbi!"

"I do understand Japanese you know," Kyo responded, chuckling at Tohru's fervor. She always got this way with Kyoko, and he loved her even more for it.

Tohru giggled. "Sorry! I got a little carried away!"

Kyo grinned as he resumed hammering away. It was tiring but liberating work, and he didn't mind it. Especially since his wife and daughter were there to support him.

"Hmm…Daddy's looking a little tired. What do you think Kyoko? Should Daddy take a break?"

Kyo glanced up and saw that Tohru and Kyoko were standing a few paces before him. Tohru, for one, was eyeing him appraisingly.

"Shouldn't you be wearing your shirt? You could get an awful sunburn," she spoke up worriedly as she subconsciously resettled Kyoko's hat so the baby wouldn't be exposed to the sun.

"Don't worry; I'm fine. Besides, it's October. The sun's not even that strong."

Suddenly, there came a ringing from within the house. Kyo and Tohru exchanged glances and Kyo set his hammer down.

"It's probably Shishou," he explained as he turned and jogged into the house. He raced through the kitchen and grabbed the phone.

"Moshimoshi," Kyo greeted.

"Moshimoshi," replied a voice Kyo didn't quite expect.

"Yuki?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Kyo? Oh, I'm glad you picked up and not Tohru," Yuki spoke quietly.

"Huh?" Kyo was very confused.

"I…I was wondering if you're busy?" Yuki asked.

Kyo frowned. "What's the matter?" He detected something in Yuki's normally confident tone that made him suspicious. He could tell that Yuki was trying to conceal it, but the rat was actually worried about something.

Yuki sighed tiredly. "I'm calling from the hospital. It's…Machi. She went into labor last night."

"What? But I thought she wasn't due for another month!"

"That's the problem," Yuki whispered in a haunted voice. "I was just wondering if maybe you and Tohru could come—"

"Do you mean to say that you've been there all alone since last night???" Kyo exploded, outraged. "Stupid rat!" Kyo ran a hand through his hair as he thought out the situation. "But yeah, we can definitely come. We'll be there as soon as we can." Kyo swallowed worriedly when only silence met him. "Yuki? Are you alright?"

There was a slight pause before Yuki answered tremulously. "As alright as I can be in this situation."

"How's Machi?"

"She's stable. The doctors are still trying to figure out what to do."

Kyo blew out a breath. "Alright. Well, hang in there. We'll be there soon."

As he hung up the phone, he heard Tohru come in from the back door. She put Kyoko on the ground and went over to Kyo.

"What's going on? I heard you yelling…"

"Machi went into labor last night, and Yuki's been at the hospital all alone with her since then. He just now called to ask if we could come," Kyo explained quickly.

Tohru clapped her hand over her mouth in horror. "Oh no! Well of course we need to go help him! That's horrible! I hope everything will be alright," she finished soberly.

"We'll have to take Kyoko with us. Shishou left on his trip, remember?" Kyo reminded her.

Tohru nodded slowly. "Did Yuki mention if he called anyone else?"

"No. Why?"

She glanced up to gaze fully into her husband's eyes. "Ayame-san should know."

Kyo grimaced dubiously. "Are you sure about that?"

Tohru nodded firmly. "While Ayame-san is…a bit social—"

"Meaning loud and obnoxious," Kyo supplied scornfully.

"—he is Yuki's brother and he deserves to know. Besides, he should act…appropriately…in this situation."

"You'd think that, but Ayame's full of surprises," Kyo muttered wryly. "I just wouldn't want to make Yuki feel any worse. He sounded pretty bad."

Tohru bit her lip, but Kyo could see that she still had that resolute glint in her eye.

At last, he sighed. "Fine. Give Ayame a call and I'll go gather the stuff we'll need to wait out for a while."

About thirty minutes later, Kyo and his family were walking down the hallway to Machi's hospital room. Although they had visited the hospital several times after Kyoko's birth (due to check-ups and a sickness Kyoko developed at one month old), the strongest memory that Kyo recalled was one that made him smile, particularly as he glanced at Kyoko who was wriggling in her stroller. His smile died when he abruptly thought of Yuki's situation, and he silently sent out a plea that everything would work out for the rat as well.

When they rounded the corner, they came face-to-face with a very tired Yuki. His eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under his eyes, no doubt the remnants of a stressful, sleepless night. Yuki barely processed that they were there before nearly falling forward in a state of utter bleariness.

"Stupid rat," Kyo muttered worriedly as he grabbed Yuki and prevented him from toppling onto him.

Yuki glanced up and blinked. "Oh. You're here."

Kyo didn't even have to look back at Tohru to know that she was frowning fiercely in concern at Yuki's disheveled appearance.

"Yuki-kun, are you alright? Here, let me help—." Tohru rushed forward and helped Yuki ease into a chair outside the room. "What can I get you? I brought some food from home and—"

Yuki smiled wanly. "Thank you, Honda—" he stumbled over the name he used to call her and quickly corrected himself, "Erm, Tohru, I'm fine for now."

"Fine? You look like a zombie," Kyo cut in. "You could use some homemade food and I think a bit of coffee would do you some good."

"I—" Yuki was interrupted from his protest when Tohru vehemently opened the bag slung over her shoulder, pulled out a lunch box full of food and shoved it at him. As he tentatively grabbed the box and she resumed rummaging through the bag like a madwoman, Yuki was reminded of how she used to fret about his welfare not so long ago in the same way. With a pang, he realized how much he actually missed her fussing over him. Although, of course, Machi had helped replace that desperate need for a mother figure by being a wonderful wife, and he knew he was lucky to have her. Still, he found himself thinking sometimes of how Tohru was doing, and if she was happy, and if Kyo was being good to her. Gazing up at them, Kyo with an expression of amusement and Tohru with an expression of fierce determination, Yuki knew that they were happy together. His eyes eventually leveled on the curious face of their daughter who was looking back and forth between them with wide eyes, and Yuki find himself grinning.

Yes, they were indeed the perfect family.

His heart constricted painfully as he thought of his own wife and wondered if he would even get the chance to have a family of his own. Just the thought sucked all the air out of his lungs.

"Yuki-kun?" Tohru was asking, her eyes radiating deep worry.

Yuki shook his head. "Sorry, I…was just thinking about things."

"Well, that seems to be the problem. You've been thinking way too much about things," Kyo mused.

Yuki shot him a baleful look.

Tohru sighed, biting her lip. "What can I do to help? Maybe Machi-san…?"

"Yeah, if you could talk to her that would help a lot," Yuki interjected suddenly. "You've…been through it before so I'm sure she could use your advice. She's trying to hide how nervous she really is, because when I tried to comfort her she only got worse. That's when she told me to leave and get some rest. But how can I get any rest?" Yuki shook his head and released a weary sigh.

Tohru nodded firmly at this as she set down her bag at Kyo's feet and, meeting her husband's eye for a moment, turned to go into Machi's room. Kyo watched her go and then, noticing that there were no more chairs in which he could sit, decided to go find one.

"I'll be right back. Just keep an eye on Kyoko for a sec, will ya?" he asked as he headed around the corner.

"Sure," Yuki mumbled. Yuki watched Kyoko whose eyes widened as her father vanished. Instantly she began to squirm in her stroller, whimpering loudly. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay," Yuki soothed as he brought the stroller closer to him.

Kyoko heard him, but she was too busy straining to see around the corner to care.

"Kyoko," he called softly as Kyoko fidgeted restlessly and fought against the buckle holding her in place. She opened her mouth and cried out in her own language, frowning intensely.

Yuki sighed tiredly. He was already not good with kids. He turned to the bag in desperation and found a toy rattle that he shook quickly. Kyoko's attention immediately fixed on him as Yuki held aloft the plastic toy and shook it again.

"See the rattle? Doesn't it make a silly noise?" he spoke exaggeratedly in a high-pitched voice.

Kyoko cocked her head and eyed the rattle as Yuki continued to shake it, and then she abruptly decided that it was no longer interesting. She started to squirm again.

Yuki hurriedly tried again. "Kyoko? Blablableebala!" he cried out, making a very silly face.

Kyoko squealed in laughter as she faced him again, grinning widely. She flailed her arms as she bounced up and down excitedly.

"Blubableeblabla!" Yuki continued, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry that caused her to laugh even harder. He was in the midst of another ridiculous face when Kyo wandered back into the area with a chair folded under his arm and a coffee mug in his hand. He raised an eyebrow at Yuki's face and then smirked wickedly.

Yuki, once he saw Kyo, immediately let his face drop.

Kyo just chuckled as he set the chair against the wall. "What is Uncle Yuki doing?" he asked his daughter in a sing-song voice. "He's so weird isn't he!" he exclaimed as he knelt down before Kyoko who blurted out a number of syllables in great happiness at seeing her father. Kyo smiled. "Yes, Daddy's back! And look, he brought some coffee for Uncle Yuki because Uncle Yuki was up all night!"

Kyo settled back into the chair with a grin as he handed Yuki the steaming mug.

"Thanks," Yuki murmured as he gratefully accepted the hot drink and sipped at it gently.

"See? You've got the hang of it. I'm sure you'll be a great dad," Kyo remarked flippantly as he playfully punched Yuki in the arm.

Yuki rolled his eyes. "Well of course. If you can do it then anyone can."

"Hey!"

Yuki grinned slyly before growing somber. "It's just that…Harumi will be a month premature, and all kind of things could be wrong…"

"Harumi? What a beautiful name," Kyo said hurriedly, ignoring the dire implications of his last statement.

Yuki smiled thinly. "Yes. I thought so, too."

"It goes well with your name, which means 'snow' and…"

"The beginning part of Harumi, namely 'Haru' meaning 'spring,'" Yuki interrupted. "Yes, I got that, thanks."

Kyo scoffed. "That's good. I was afraid you'd lost it for a second there." There were a few moments of silence, then Kyo spoke up again. "So she's definitely going to be born soon?"

Yuki nodded and sighed miserably, "The doctors have no other choice."

Kyo tried to remain positive. "But just think: you'll be a father!"

Yuki closed his eyes and leaned on his hand as his face tightened. "Maybe," he whispered so quietly Kyo was barely sure that he had heard it.

Just then, Yuki jumped as a hand settled onto his right shoulder. Lurching forward, he turned to stare up aghast at Ayame who had firmly planted himself beside his brother. A few moments of utter silence passed as Yuki regarded him speechlessly, frowning in disbelief at Ayame's strangely quiet demeanor.

At this, Ayame only smiled sadly, squeezing his brother's shoulder in comfort.

Yuki felt his throat tighten in gratitude when he realized that Ayame was just there to support him with his presence. It meant a lot to Yuki that he was unfailingly there by his side, not uttering a word but offering his solace in his time of need.

Kyoko was the one who broke this touching moment. She began to whine in an undertone as she reached out with her hands toward Yuki. Yuki looked at her in confusion, not understanding.

"She hates when people are sad," Kyo explained. Then, as an afterthought, "She gets that from her mother, I think," he spoke quietly.

Time passed slowly. Tohru eventually emerged from Machi's room, and she and Yuki exchanged places as Machi's situation grew more urgent. Meanwhile, Kyo and Tohru amused themselves by talking quietly, or playing with Kyoko, who was growing cranky from having to sit still for so long. Ayame merely stood by and watched, alternating between frowning worriedly at Yuki's continued absence and smiling at Kyoko's antics.

After an hour went by, Kyoko was beginning to get extra fussy, and Kyo decided to take Kyoko for a stroller ride around the hospital. As he pushed her along, knowing that she was nodding off with each step, he thought of Ayame not for the first time since the man had showed up.

Normally, Ayame's mere existence annoyed Kyo. He had no recollections of pleasant, easy-going times with the crazy, older man, and it didn't help that at the most strenuous moment of his life — Kyoko's birth— Ayame had only appeared to make the situation worse. His entire personality had made Kyo sour to him, for he couldn't understand the man's ceaseless, insane boisterousness, his ridiculously loud voice, or his horrible taste in fashion. Ayame had only served, up to today, to aggravate circumstances.

Now, Kyo didn't know what to think of him. Perhaps there was another side to Ayame, a deeper and more emotional side. He figured that if there was, Tohru would be the one to talk to about it. That was why he had volunteered to leave the two alone for what would most likely be a touching conversation. Of course, he also wanted to pass by the infamous section of the hospital where Kyoko had been born. Kyo had changed on that day in this very place, and he wondered what he would think about upon his return.

After hopping off the elevator pushing a now-sleeping Kyoko in her stroller, he came to the wing of the hospital where babies were delivered. He grinned in understanding as he saw what could only be a would-be father sitting in the waiting room clutching his hair in fistfuls. Kyo could see that the man was muttering to himself anxiously, and kept glancing up at the door across the hall where Kyo guessed his wife was in labor. Oh, the very sight brought back many memories!

As Kyo idly strolled by, he tapped the man on his shoulder. The man glanced up with bloodshot eyes.

"It's going to be alright," Kyo smiled, "Trust me," he added, winking, as he nodded down at his daughter. The man followed his gaze and his shoulders relaxed slightly as he strained to grin in reply.

When Kyo and Kyoko returned, Tohru's seat was empty. As Kyo sat down, he raised his eyebrow at Ayame.

"Machi's giving birth," he explained softly.

"And Yuki's in there too?" Kyo spoke up in surprise.

Ayame smiled. "He's a bit braver than you were, I do believe."

Kyo rolled his eyes, although he was a little more relieved to see a hint of the Ayame he knew.

A few more minutes passed, and Kyo couldn't help but notice that Ayame's gaze continued to fall on the peacefully sleeping form of Kyoko. He decided not to say anything, though, as he picked up a newspaper and began to scan the titles for interesting articles.

"You know, I am very happy for you, Kyonkichi."

Kyo started as he glanced over the paper at Ayame, whose face was tilted downward in sadness.

"You _and_ Tohru," Ayame corrected. He sighed wearily. "I just hope Yuki will be as lucky."

Swallowing, Kyo folded down the paper. "Me too," he uttered, growing slightly embarrassed by the serious conversation he was having with the most spastic member of the Sohma clan. He coughed awkwardly and saw that Ayame was watching Kyoko again. "What, jealous?" he spoke up teasingly.

Ayame blinked up at him. He raised an eyebrow. "Jealous? Why, whatever do you mean?"

"Haven't you ever considered becoming a father?" Kyo clarified. His eyes widened in shock as Ayame let out a huge, barking laugh.

Ayame's laughter eventually faded down as he wiped his teary eyes, still chuckling a bit.

"Ah, Kyonkichi, that was a good one! Hohoho, _me,_ a _father_???" Ayame continued to laugh as Kyo regarded him with a deadpan expression.

_Well at least he's realized it,_ Kyo thought wryly.

In another half hour, the deed was done. Sohma Harumi had entered the world, tiny and weak but alive and crying nearly as much as her relieved parents.

And of course Uncle Ayame was there to cry even harder (and louder) than the three of them combined…

_A/N: AWW!! I love the ending so much! Yes, I am quite modest…haha!! I just feel like Ayame was really perfect for this one, so THANK YOU SO MUCH IHEARTMWPP (my beta) for telling me how Ayame should act in the beginning! I was really stumped…I mean, how was I supposed to make Ayame, the crazy INSANE OBNOXIOUS one, sad??? But my beta solved that problem and you should all send her your love! And of course I couldn't make Yuki's daughter…die!! I just wanted to mess with him a little bit, but it's all good now!_

_Please review, and I hoped it made you squee!!_


	3. Wonder Years

_A/N: Hey everyone!! I have to say thank you very much to all my new reviewers! Each time I get a new review, I get the urge to write this and I've already started the next chapter, so the update will probably be faster (especially since I'm home for the summer now!). This story is so much fun to write, and hope you enjoy this chapter! It's funny and adorable and it makes me happy!_

_And yes, the title for this chapter is a blatant rip-off. Haha!_

Chapter 3: Wonder Years

"Do you _have_ to film everything?" Kyo growled as he unfolded the card table and set it up on the back lawn. Leaning on the tree in the back were more foldable chairs, and streamers circled the back deck and clothesline. All around him, the day was perfect. It was April, and the cherry blossoms were blooming in the warm sunshine. The air was charged with excitement for the upcoming festivities, but Kyo found that he couldn't concentrate on anything but the video camera jammed in his face.

"Of course I have to film everything! Otherwise it wouldn't be complete!" Uotani replied indignantly as she zoomed in on Kyo setting the table. She moved behind him to get an angle on his hands as they folded the napkins into place. Kyo rolled his eyes as he shifted away from the gangster.

"You don't have to film the party preparations, just the party!" he exclaimed, rather annoyed.

Uotani grinned slyly. She rather enjoyed bothering him, as it was an interesting pastime for which she had found no replacement as of yet (and didn't think she ever would).

"Well, it _is_ your daughter's first birthday. It's _kind_ of a special occasion, so we should film everything we can. Otherwise, we could miss an important moment!"

"Right, because setting the table is such a _precious_ memory that must be recorded!" Kyo muttered sarcastically, causing Uotani to laugh.

"You never know," she simpered. She paused to grin evilly, deciding that she wasn't done with him just yet. "Especially since this will be another lovely installment of Tohru's home videos."

Kyo didn't even glance at her. Uotani gave him a few moments.

"What??" he burst out suddenly, glaring at her. "Another?? Since when have you been filming Tohru's life??"

Perfect. "Oh, since I met her. I took some particularly delightful videos of your first dates and such, so…"

"You WHAT?" Kyo exploded.

"You two were so cute together," Uotani said in a high-pitched voice as she scrunched up her face to make a cutesy expression. Kyo's eyebrow twitched as Uotani pressed on. "And yes, anyways, this one will just be another to add to the pile."

On Kyo's face was an expression of horror. "How many of these have you done?" he whispered anxiously.

Uotani hummed as she flirtatiously stared past him. "Enough," she uttered simply.

"Enough for what?" Kyo repeated fearfully, wondering if he really wanted to know.

"Enough to complete my whole collection on Tohru's life, from adolescence to adulthood, and now motherhood. I call it 'Tohru's Home Videos.' I bet they will sell pretty well, actually—"

"Sell?" Kyo gulped, his face burning. "That's a crime! You can't expect to get away with stalking us—"

"Stalking? That's such a harsh word! I would call it more 'friendly following.'"

Kyo sputtered furiously, unsure of which complaint to voice first.

Uotani took one look at his red face and burst out laughing. "Oh I'm just messing with you, Kyon-Kyon!" she giggled hysterically. "That was priceless!" she gasped as she lifted the camera to get a view of his rather unpleased expression. She nearly doubled over laughing as Kyo set his jaw angrily and shoved the camera away from him. He would've shared some lovely expletives with the gangster had Tohru not walked out of the house with a very energized Kyoko on her heels.

"Daddy!" Kyoko cried out, waving her arms. Kyo's face immediately lit up as his daughter called him, and he ran over to her and in one swift motion, swooped her up into the air. Kyoko squealed with delight as Kyo made his own sound effects for the occasion. "More! More!" she laughed, enjoying the thrill.

Kyo feigned great weariness when he finally set her down.

"More!" Kyoko pouted once she was on the ground. She lifted her arms up. "More!"

"Sorry, Daddy has to finish setting up," Kyo apologized. Suddenly, he noticed Uotani staring at him with misty eyes. His face set into a wry grin. "Did you get that on tape?" he teased.

Uotani blinked and then realized that she had lowered the camera to witness the touching moment with her own eyes. She opened her mouth and then closed it, realizing her defeat.

Kyo smirked triumphantly as Kyoko yanked on his pant leg and then fell onto her butt.

"Daddy!" she said happily.

Tohru smiled as she came over. "Oh, the yard looks great! Today will be so wonderful! And I'm so glad you could come, Uo-chan!"

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Not when my favorite niece is having her birthday party!" Uotani replied, breaking into baby talk as she directed her attention to Kyoko.

"Oba! Oba!" Kyoko giggled.

"It's oba-san," Tohru corrected gently. "Can you say 'oba-san'?"

"Aww Tohru, she doesn't have to be so polite around me!" Uotani playfully scolded Tohru as she waved her hand dismissively.

"Well…she needs to learn some manners," Tohru answered hesitantly. Ever since Kyoko had been able to spout out one-syllable phrases, Tohru had emphasized the very polite speech patterns she herself was apt to use since her own father's death. Kyo found it rather adorable, and didn't interfere. Besides, what was wrong with having a few extra manners? If Kyoko was anything like her mother when she got older, her added politeness could only make her more desirable, Kyo mused. Suddenly, Kyo frowned. Wait…did he want his daughter to be so desirable..?

"Hello?"

The party turned to welcome Yuki and his family as they descended the back porch stairs.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for not greeting you at the door!" Tohru instantly apologized, feeling like a terrible host.

"Don't worry about it. We just…let ourselves in. The door was open anyways," Yuki reasoned.

Tohru gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "I left the front door open?!"

Yuki had to stifle his laughter at her utterly panicked expression. "Yes, but I made sure to shut it behind me. Don't worry; everything's fine now!" he assured her. "I'm sure you've been busy with the preparations anyway. It's understandable."

At Yuki's side, Machi smiled pleasantly in greeting, laughing lightly at Tohru's reaction. The two women had become quite good friends since Harumi's birth, and it helped that they lived only ten minutes from each other. As a result, they got together often, and Kyoko and Harumi were officially introduced as playmates. Of course, it hadn't been immediate.

After Harumi was born, she had been too tiny and weak to bring home right away, so the doctors had kept her at the hospital for a few more weeks. In the meantime, Machi and Yuki were hit hard with the news that, after some complications during Harumi's birth, Machi would no longer be able to have children. At first, it had devastated them, but as their daughter grew stronger with each passing day, they realized how lucky they actually were.

Now, Harumi was a bouncing and perfectly healthy six-month-old. She was a beautiful child with dark hair and light eyes, and all who saw her claimed that she looked exactly like her father. Kyo was most merciless about this observation, seeing as he quite haughtily brought up the episode in which Yuki had worn a dress to appear more feminine.

On Yuki's part, he didn't really care what the others said. What did it matter if Harumi was a female version of himself? She was his daughter, and he loved her more than the very fibers of his own soul.

…that didn't mean that Yuki didn't get Kyo back, though.

Now, as Machi headed over to Tohru, she grunted as Harumi squirmed viciously in her arms. With a huff, she finally placed her daughter on the ground and let her crawl over to where Kyoko was regarding her strangely. In the next moment, Kyoko reached out to her embrace her friend, and all the women on the scene had to suppress tears at the utter cuteness of it all.

As the women squealed and began to talk anxiously about how the two would surely become best friends someday, Kyo and Yuki could only glance at each other and roll their eyes. Of course, the irony didn't escape them. They had hated each other when they were younger, and it was just perfect that their daughters might end up being best friends!

The party got underway as more guests began to arrive. Hanajima was next, and she was greeted warmly by Uotani and Tohru. Kyo, however, could only warily eye the present she had brought for Kyoko. It looked particularly menacing in its black wrapping paper…he gulped when Hana's eyes suddenly connected to his and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He quickly averted his gaze as Hana returned to answering her friends' persistent questioning on her welfare.

The next guest's arrival elicited a joyful shout from Uotani as she raced forward to slam into Kureno's chest. Laughingly, he tenderly kissed the top of her head and grinned happily at the rest of them. Kyo frowned at Uotani's blatant display until he sensed Hana's presence near him and had to sidle away in fear that her waves would affect him.

Not for the first time, he wondered why Tohru had such strange friends.

Next came Momiji and Kazuma. Kyo steered clear of Momiji (slightly annoyed that he had been invited) and instead went to speak with his foster father. Kazuma glowed with pride as Kyo caught the older man up on their current lives, including the addition that was ever-nearing its completion.

Their conversation was interrupted, however, when a wobbling one-year-old knocked into Kazuma's legs.

"Kyoko!" Kazuma greeted his granddaughter with a huge smile on his face. He picked her up and hugged her tightly as she planted a very wet kiss on his cheek. This made Kyo burst out laughing as the older man winced at the copious amount of saliva sticking to his face.

Suddenly, a long and high-pitched whine met their ears and Kyoko responded by wriggling as if she wanted to get down. As soon as she was set back on the ground, she waddled over to Harumi, who had called for her and who made an overjoyed sound at her return.

Kazuma and Kyo stood and silently watched the girls play, both grinning widely. They both surveyed the party scene and Kyo rolled his eyes at Momiji, who was acting like a child as he flailed in excitement while talking with Tohru.

"Daddy! Ojii!" Kyoko exclaimed, waving at them frantically.

Kyo glanced at Kazuma with an eyebrow raised. "Why, I do think she wants us to play."

Kazuma chuckled as Kyo settled down to play with the girls. As he continued to observe them, he realized that the smile already on his face was broadening. Nowadays, he could barely conceal his happiness when he was around Kyo and his family. His foster son had truly stepped up to the role and was a wonderful husband and father. Seeing him with Kyoko always brightened Kazuma's day, and he was very glad to be there on this special occasion.

Meanwhile, Kyo was getting attacked by the fiery toddlers. Kyoko had jumped forward to hug him as Harumi gurgled her approval.

"Ow!" Kyo cried out playfully as Kyoko accidentally poked him in the eye. It watered without abandon as Kyo tried to extricate himself from his daughter's frantic movements.

"Daddy!" Kyoko shrieked in excitement as she pounced at him, knocking him over in her enthusiasm.

"Oof!" he grunted as he struggled to cover his eye and sit back up.

"Aw, this is too cute!" came a voice.

Kyo's face grew sour as he noticed the red recording light in his face.

"Not this again!" he muttered.

"Hi Kyoko! Smile up at Auntie for me! Yeah, there you go!" Uotani encouraged as Kyoko glanced up and grinned, revealing the few teeth that were coming in. At this, Uotani had to pause to recover from such dazzling cuteness.

"You should probably work on professionalizing your cinematography skills, since you obviously can't be serious when it comes to adorable little babies," Kyo scowled as he stood up, still rubbing his eye.

Uotani made an indignant noise as she zoomed in on Kyo's face. "Perhaps I should not tape your daughter and instead make a documentary on my best friend's stupid husband. Just think; I could follow you everywhere!" she retorted, smiling in satisfaction as Kyo's face darkened.

"Now, now, you two," Kureno chided as he came to break up the potential argument. "Come to the table; Tohru's serving the food."

The fight dropped instantly at the mention of food, and Kyo scooped up Kyoko and brought her to her highchair at the table. Yuki copied his actions and the family settled down to eat. A bit after they started, Hatsuharu, Rin and Kisa arrived.

"Way to be late!" Kyo called out as they came toward them.

"Better late than never," Haru answered, shrugging casually.

"Tohru onee-chan!" Kisa cried as she rushed forward and wrapped Tohru in a fierce hug.

"Kisa-chan! I'm so glad you came!"

"Sorry for being late. The manager of the hotel we booked called to confirm our reservations," Haru explained. Behind him, Rin blushed furiously.

They were getting married in June, and although it wasn't going to be a large reception, they definitely needed to schedule things ahead of time. Kyo, for one, was surprised at Haru's initiative – usually the guy was lazy as all get-out, but apparently he just wanted the ceremony to be over as soon as possible so Rin would stop fretting about it.

Having had not much experience with "girly" things, Rin was incredibly nervous about the wedding. She felt like she'd mess up in front of everyone and make Haru look foolish. After all, he was putting so much effort into this…surely he deserved better? She loved Haru, there was no doubt about that, but she just felt that she wasn't cut out to be the iconical blushing bride. And being a wife would be just as bad! She hardly knew how to cook and clean, and although everyone tried to assuage her worries, they couldn't deny that she just didn't fit the image of a typical housewife. Of course, not everyone could be Tohru, but Rin couldn't help but feel the pressures of living up to societal standards. Even though Haru tried to comfort her and never stopped gazing at her with absolute loving eyes, she just couldn't get over her anxieties. In fact, they were building up so much that she was just a ticking time bomb. When she would explode, nobody knew.

Rin awkwardly took her seat beside her fiancé and smiled shortly at Tohru, who was bursting with questions about their plans.

"Would you like me to come and help you pick out your dress?" Tohru offered, her face brightening with the concept.

"If you could, that would be…nice," Rin choked, avoiding her gaze.

Tohru clapped her hands together. "It's a date then! I'm so excited and happy for you both!"

"Rin doesn't look too excited about it," Momiji commented idly.

Rin shot him a glance. She opened her mouth to retort but found that she couldn't deny his statement.

"She's just a little nervous," Haru explained, putting an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her gently.

"Still?" Kyo cut in.

Yuki rolled his eyes at Kyo's tactlessness and Machi giggled at her husband's face.

"Don't worry, Rin! You'll be beautiful!" Kisa remarked as she finally released Tohru and sat back down next to her. "And I definitely want to help you pick out your dress, too!"

Rin suddenly had a violent urge to throw up.

"Rin-san? Are you alright?" Tohru asked, noticing her abruptly green expression.

Haru clapped her on the back. "Hey, it's going to be fine. Stop freaking out about it."

Rin pursed her lips. "Can we talk about something else?" she strained desperately.

"Like what, the weather? A wedding's far more interesting than weather," Haru continued.

Rin tensed and Haru began to rub her back.

"I'm joking, sorry love."

"Actually, speaking of weather, I do have a good story to tell," Kyo brought up suddenly.

Yuki eyed him questioningly and then grinned. "Ah yes, this is a good one."

At the end of the table, Tohru paused in feeding Kyoko to sigh and blush.

Kyo could only smile widely at her adorable reaction. "Sorry, Tohru, but this one's too funny not to tell!"

"I know," Tohru said quietly, her cheeks still rather rouged.

"So, you know we all got snow here in January. Well, Tohru and I decided to take Kyoko out to play in the snow for the first time. I was in the other room putting on a coat and I came outside to see that Tohru had dressed Kyoko in so many layers of clothing that I could barely see her face! I took one look at Kyoko and burst out laughing. She couldn't even move her body, she had so many clothes on!"

By this time, everyone, even Rin, had a smile on their faces, and there were snickers all along the table.

"The best part is when I joked that Kyoko probably couldn't even breathe with all those layers on. Tohru panicked and as she rushed over to Kyoko to take her back inside and remove some of her clothing, Kyoko tipped over and fell back into the snow. It was most likely a soft landing, but when Tohru finally picked her up, we looked down and saw that Kyoko had made a perfect snow starfish!"

Everyone laughed at the image and turned to Tohru, who was chuckling in embarrassment.

"I…just didn't want her to be cold," she explained unsurely.

There was great merriment as everyone broke into stories of their own. Uotani stood up to do a sweep of the party scene with her camera as time passed. Eventually, it was time to do cake. Tohru placed her home-baked cake in front of Kyoko's highchair and lit the candle, making sure it was far enough away that the infant wouldn't burn herself.

Kyoko hammed it up as she realized that all the attention was on her. The group sang "Happy Birthday" and Kyo went to Kyoko's side to demonstrate how to blow out the candle. Kyoko didn't quite understand her father's actions and ended up spitting quite violently at the cake. Kyo eventually gave in to a serious laughing fit as Kyoko drooled and then seized up to sneeze in the direction of the cake, which ended up blowing the candle out. Everyone laughed hysterically at that and it took a while to calm down.

After that came the presents, and Kyoko received a good share of toys and a rather…interesting…porcelain doll dressed in rather gothic attire (from Hanajima of course). Kyo made a mental note to store that in a place away from Kyoko's reach, at least for the time being (and if he had any say, he would keep it away from her forever!)

The party began to disperse once the little girls began to grow fussy and cranky. Machi took Harumi inside for a nap as Kyo snatched up Kyoko. He was feeling a bit tired himself and thought he could just rest for a moment on the couch with his daughter…

The result was a perfect end to Uotani's video: father and daughter sound asleep on the couch. And Uotani thought it would be better to just let Kyo drool instead of waking him up to tell him how foolish he looked. After all, she wanted it to be as natural as possible.

---

"Daddy, I want a kitty!"

Kyo, in the middle of a mug of coffee, nearly spit it out of his nose. Coughing, he turned to glance down at his daughter's rather petulant face as she repeated her demand.

"I want a kitty!" Kyoko exclaimed, stamping her foot.

Kyo set his mug down on the table and breathed deeply. With his other hand, he felt his heart and attempted to recover from the shock.

"Daddy!" Kyoko emitted a long-suffering whine as she yanked on his shirt.

Kyo sighed. "I heard you, sweetie. I just…a cat?"

"A kitty!" Kyoko confirmed with a vigorous nod. Kyo chuckled at Kyoko's reaction. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she practically bounced around the kitchen.

"Why is this, now?"

"Because…because…" Kyoko paused, and her face scrunched up in contemplation. Kyo had to hold back laughter at the intensity of her expression. "Because…they're fluffy, and cute, and I want one!" she cried out at last, looking up hopefully.

"Flawless logic," he spoke aloud, laughing quietly. He shook his head as he let out a large breath. He knew that this topic didn't just come out of nowhere. Most likely due to the Zodiac story, Kyoko had practically grown up loving animals. It was just a matter of time that she wanted one of her own, especially since she had seen other families with pets and the like. He and Tohru had discussed getting a pet, but Kyo had thought it would be more in the range of a fish, than a…cat…

"Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!" Kyoko sang in succession, skipping around. "Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

"What's going on here?" Tohru giggled as she entered the kitchen, smiling at her daughter's antics.

"Kyoko wants a kitty," Kyo explained with a wry grin.

Tohru looked appalled for a moment and then her face grew worried. "I'm sorry. She mentioned it before, but I didn't get a chance to tell you yet. I should have warned you…"

"Don't be ridiculous," he retorted. "I was just…a little surprised, that's all."

Tohru smiled in relief. "I mean, I know how you feel about cats…"

Kyo had to nod at this. Cats did not inspire the best memories he had, although it _was_ how he had met Tohru…

"Maybe we could get a different pet instead," Tohru reasoned, thinking. By this time, Kyoko had zoomed into the living room to play, too impatient to wait for her parents to reach a decision.

"Like what?"

"I know you were thinking more of a fish, but wouldn't it be nice to have something fluffy to pet and cuddle with?"

"Am I not enough for you, eh Tohru?" Kyo joked, grinning at the furious blush that spread on her face.

"Th-that's not what I meant!" she stammered. She swallowed her embarrassment fiercely and pushed on. "Maybe a puppy?"

"Reminds me too much of Shigure."

Tohru giggled slightly. "I suppose you're right. A bunny—?"

"No!" Kyo interrupted.

Tohru sighed. "None of the Zodiac animals, then?"

"It's a start…" Kyo muttered, growing thoughtful. "Unless of course it was a dragon. That would be an awesome pet!"

Tohru laughed. "I think Hatori-san would be a bit offended!"

"That, and it might not be the best pet for a two-and-a-half-year-old."

"Mommy, are we getting a kitty?" Kyoko burst out as she raced back into the kitchen and circled her mother.

"I don't know. Are there any other kinds of animals you want?" Tohru tried desperately.

Kyoko stopped and frowned fiercely, glaring at her parents in turn. She pursed her lips and pouted stubbornly. "I want a kitty!" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Kyo sensed a tantrum on the way. "Kyoko," he warned.

Kyoko's anger dissolved into sadness and she began to sniffle pathetically. Putting on quite a good show, she approached her father and stared up at his face with watery eyes.

"Please, Daddy? Pretty please?" her voice rose in pitch until it faded altogether as her lower lip quivered pathetically.

Kyo wrestled with all the emotions in the world as his daughter's adorable face penetrated his entire being. How could he possibly say no to _that_?

Admitting defeat, he let out a long sigh. "Alright. We'll get a kitty."

Kyoko's reaction was immediate. Her face lit up and she squealed in pure excitement as she ran around the kitchen.

"We're getting a kitty! We're getting a kitty! We're getting a kitty!" she chanted loudly.

Tohru gave Kyo a knowing look and he shrugged helplessly.

About an hour later, Kyoko was safely strapped in to her car seat and Kyo was driving along to the city's pet store that doubled as an animal shelter. From the back seat, Kyoko chattered away about everything to her father, talking about the animals she loved and what colors she wanted them to be and what their potential names were. Her energy was almost palpable, and Kyo had to wonder what he had gotten himself into.

Kyoko was still babbling on about animals when they entered the city limits and Kyo steered down the street to the pet store. He was quite impressed with all Kyoko had learned and remembered, considering that he thought she would have exhausted every possible category by now since she only had her short life's experience behind her. But she proved him wrong and continued talking away, sometimes in phrases and words he didn't understand but which seemed to make perfect sense to her.

Once he parked in the parking lot, he removed Kyoko from her car seat and grabbed her hand, anxious to not let anything happen. He was in charge now, since he had gotten himself into this mess and Tohru didn't want to be part of it. Normally, Kyoko was a very well-behaved child in stores and restaurants, but the prospect of having so many animals in such close proximity might set her over the edge. Kyo had to be on his highest guard at all times.

His precautions were justified the second they stepped inside. Kyoko could not contain her thrill at all the animals around her and practically ripped off his arm as she dragged him forward to everything new and interesting. She poked her fingers in cages and peeped with wide eyes into aquariums and terrariums. The awe on her face remained intact with each new experience, and in fact only increased as they approached the section with the cats.

Kyoko let out an ecstatic string of incomprehensible syllables as she saw all of the cats, and she couldn't decide where to go and look first.

Kyo noticed the store keeper standing nearby and hailed him over.

"Excuse me, do you have any kittens?" he asked. The store keeper smiled at Kyoko's bubbling happiness and nodded.

"There's a litter of kittens in the back. This way, please."

Kyo and Kyoko followed the man to the back where there was a large cage of kittens. Kyo let his daughter look on while he tried not to feel too uncomfortable with all those feline eyes watching him. Now that the curse was broken, he knew cats didn't feel attracted to him anymore, but would they be repulsed by him instead? Suddenly, he had misgivings. What if Kyoko chose a cat that despised him? Could cats sense that he had once been one of them, but was glad that he wasn't anymore?

"That one!"

Kyoko's shrill voice broke him out of his reverie. He glanced down at the cat she was pointing to and his heart nearly stopped. Staring back at him with a cocked head was an orange kitten that reminded him so much of his own cat form that Kyo had to wonder if he was actually staring at _himself_. It was a rather unnerving moment as he and the kitten tensely eyed one another. Then the kitten mewed and began to lick one of Kyoko's proffered fingers through the bars of the cage. Kyoko giggled hysterically in response.

"Toki! I want Toki!" she cried out.

"I guess you want that one, since you've already named him," Kyo said in amusement. He glanced at the shopkeeper. "We'll take him."

On the ride home, Kyoko, instead of chattering to Kyo, directed comforting words to Toki, who was mewling nervously in his cat carrier on the backseat. Kyoko explained everything about their house and family, and Kyo smiled as he knew that Toki would fit in just fine.

---

"Kyo, are you alright?"

Kyo shook his head, pulling out of his thoughts. He stared upward at Kazuma, who was in the middle of picking up the dojo since the students had left.

"What?"

"I asked if you're alright. You seemed awfully distracted during class today," Kazuma commented.

Kyo nodded in realization. "Yes, sorry. I was just driving to work today thinking about something interesting."

"And what would that be?"

Kyo smiled as Kazuma sat beside him on the wooden floor. "Ever since we brought Toki home, Kyoko has been addicted to him. It made me wonder if she was lonely before. I mean, Harumi didn't come over _that_ often, and even though Haru and Rin have their daughter now, Emiko is two years younger than Kyoko."

Kazuma hummed thoughtfully and then raised his eyebrow. "What are you saying then?"

Kyo, despite himself, blushed slightly. "I…I was thinking that maybe…maybe Kyoko should have a sibling."

Kazuma laughed aloud at Kyo's discomfiture, having guessed that already. "I think that would be a wonderful idea!" he declared, clapping Kyo on the back.

"You think so?" Kyo asked unsurely. "Do we think we could handle another baby?"

"Definitely. Look how much you've adapted to being a father with Kyoko. You and Tohru are both great parents. Why shouldn't you have more kids?"

Kyo didn't quite know how to take such praise. "Thanks, Shishou," he said awkwardly. "I just…don't know…"

"Think Kyo: you could have a son. Having a boy is very different than having a girl."

At this, Kyo brightened. "That's true," he murmured, mulling over sudden possibilities in his head. He began to grow excited. "Yeah, that would be…incredible!"

Kazuma chuckled, understanding where Kyo's mind was. Kazuma himself had been much in the same mindset after adopting Kyo, and for a father, nothing was more exhilarating than having a son. Daughters were wonderful, of course, but the father-son bond was something special that Kyo had yet to experience.

"I'm going to call Tohru right now!" Kyo cried, jumping to his feet.

Kazuma laughed. "Eager are we?" he teased.

Kyo's face fell a little in embarrassment, but his smile remained intact. "I…" he trailed off, shrugging helplessly.

Kazuma waved his hand dismissively. "Go along now," he said, grinning. Ah yes, he recalled the joys of being young…

---

Kyoko was trying _really_ hard to pay attention. Really, she was! It's just that Ojii-san's voice was so…_boring_ compared with what was soon to happen. It wasn't her fault that the book wasn't very interesting, and that she was really only listening to every other word. She couldn't help but strain to hear the rattling of a doorknob, and she couldn't stop the tingles of excitement that raced through her body and caused her to squirm ferociously. It took all she had to not fall off the couch, she was fidgeting so much!

As Kyoko once again turned bodily to stare at the door, Kazuma sighed wearily, stopping mid-sentence. He chuckled softly as he observed his very wound-up granddaughter whose entire existence seemed to be focused on the doorway. He knew she hadn't really been listening at all, but he had tried his best to divert her attention. He couldn't really blame her, though, for her barely-contained enthusiasm, considering that she had been waiting for this moment for quite a while. It was only natural for her reaction to be like this. She was only three years old, after all!

There came a step on the landing and Kazuma barely blinked before Kyoko shot off the couch and launched herself at her mother who had just opened the door.

"Mommy!" she squealed as she wrapped her arms around her mother's thighs and squeezed tightly.

Tohru giggled as she struggled to get out of the way of Kyo who was behind her. She ended up waddling awkwardly into the house in order to make room for her husband.

"You're home, you're home, you're home!" Kyoko exclaimed loudly.

"Shh," Tohru hushed her daughter gently as she knelt down to wrap Kyoko in a hug. "He's sleeping."

Kyoko eagerly looked past her mother at Kyo, who carefully came through the door holding a baby carrier.

"He's sleeping?" Kyoko whispered loudly, causing Tohru to giggle again. She nodded as Kyo closed the door and set the carrier on the floor so Kyoko could get a better glimpse of her new baby brother.

Despite having visited him at the hospital the other day, she still stared at him with awe and wonder. Her entire being was concentrated solely on the newborn, taking in his mop of brown hair and brown eyes as he suddenly blinked awake. Before her parents could stop her, Kyoko reached down to touch him and abruptly had her finger clenched tightly in a tiny fist.

"Hey! Jari, stop! Mommy!" Kyoko whined, pouting as she wrested her finger away from her brother and glared at him accusingly. "I think he's broken," she declared suddenly with a frown. She turned to her parents. "I think he's broken," she repeated seriously, causing Kyo to burst out laughing.

"I don't think he's broken, sweetie," Tohru explained desperately, horrified at her daughter's reaction.

"But look!" Kyoko cried out, poking her brother in the stomach, causing him to whimper slightly. "He doesn't even do anything!"

"He's just a baby, Kyoko," Kyo reminded her.

"But aren't babies supposed to get bigger? He got smaller! Toki's still bigger than him!"

"I think you're just seeing things," Kyo laughed as he swooped Kyoko up into a big hug. "Now no more poking your brother, you hear?" he chided her playfully.

"Okay, but he better get ready to play soon," Kyoko stated sincerely. The adults could only laugh, that is, except for Tohru who worried that her children wouldn't get along.

Luckily, Tohru's worries were for naught.

_A/N: Hoho! A sibling?? Who saw that one coming? And yes, Jari's name is also nostalgic, and as fans, you probably remember that that's what Kyoko (as in Tohru's mother of course) used to call Kyo when she told him about her past. Very cute, ne? I also have to say that my favorite scene to write was DEFINITELY "I want a kitty!" Haha, I had such an adorable image of a very pouty, stubborn Kyoko demanding that. Oh, and that short scene with Kyo and Kazuma was inspired by my beta, iheartmwpp, who thought it would be great for me to directly copy the manga where Katsuya called Kyoko and said something along the lines of "I think it's about time that Tohru had a playmate." I didn't want to copy it _exactly_ so if you want, you can imagine that kind of thing happening off-page directly after that scene. _

_On a different note, writing this story has forced me to research child development. I now know what to expect of my own children as they get older…although they have yet to exist…wow, that sounds a little creepy of me…I should probably stop writing now…_

_Reviews are always loved, and they inspire me to write more so if you want a fast(er) update, review, review and review! ;p _


	4. Kanpai

_A/N: Some of you guys wanted some more with the other Zodiacs, so here you go! I went a little crazy with this chapter and it definitely ended up being longer than I thought it would! Enjoy! _

Chapter 4: Kanpai

Kyo was not a big fan of water. Personally, he didn't see the thrill in it. For him, water would remain the source of life and cleanliness, and _not_ as something fun. Whenever he was dragged to a beach, he adamantly stayed on shore, utterly refusing to even dip his little toe in the surf. He didn't understand the appeal; how could people enjoy freezing cold salty water in their eyes and mouth, and the unidentified and sometimes painful objects poking out of the sand beneath their feet? Besides, who knew what was floating in the water, ready to be ingested? Kyo knew the worst of it wasn't seaweed. Even swimming pools were gross to him. The chemicals always reminded him of bleach, and he wasn't too keen to swallow any for fear of getting poisoned. It didn't help that the chlorine made his skin itch (when he was forced to swim), and it burned his eyes.

Despite this, though, Kazuma had done his duty as a father and taught Kyo how to swim. Although what Kazuma had claimed was "fun" was really torture to Kyo. He hated water and avoided it whenever possible. That was why when Yuki and Machi invited them to their house to use their new swimming pool, Kyo didn't bother to bring a bathing suit (which he did own, just in case).

It was hot outside, and brutally so. They were in the full swing of summer, and Tohru had gladly jumped at the chance to bring the kids to cool down at Yuki's. Kyoko had practically begged her mother too, which helped sway the decision. As predicted, Kyoko and Harumi had become best friends and the girls always looked forward to getting together to play. Even Jari was excited to go since he loved to swim.

So, they had packed the car and driven to Yuki's house. Yuki's and Machi's establishment was modest but well-kept, and, unlike Kyo and Tohru's place, it was situated closer to the town and was surrounded by other suburban dwellings. It took about ten minutes to get there, and once they arrived, they were greeted at the door by a beaming Harumi who rushed down the front stairs to embrace her friend.

Kyo watched the girls chatter energetically before running back up the stairs, brushing aside Yuki and Machi and disappearing inside. On the other side of the car, Meanwhile, Tohru removed Jari from his car seat and walked over to greet the other adults.

"Thank you so much for coming," Machi said.

"Oh, but thank you so much for inviting us!" Tohru replied, smiling widely.

Machi blushed. "Well, you and Kyo always have us over, so I figured it was our turn to entertain you."

"We certainly appreciate it," Tohru insisted.

Yuki chuckled. "I believe the girls would readily agree! I didn't even see them go by me, they ran so fast!"

"Kyoko was only too eager to come, as was our little man here," Kyo spoke up, affectionately ruffling Jari's hair as he came to stand before his father.

Jari glanced up and his eyes sparkled. "Yeah, I wanna go swimming!"

Yuki grinned at his zealousness. "Well, come on in, then," he declared laughingly. He ushered the group inside where they began to change into their bathing suits. Jari squirmed viciously as Tohru helped him dress and then raced over to the screen door to stare out anxiously at the pool in the backyard.

"Does everyone have lotion on? I don't want anyone to get sunburned," Tohru spoke up. She eyed her husband pointedly. "Make sure you put some on, too."

Kyo smiled. "Yes ma'am."

After making sure that everyone was sufficiently drenched in suntan lotion, Yuki went and opened the door. The girls were already ready to go, so they immediately took off. The pool was aboveground, and, being connected to the deck, it provided the perfect opportunity to jump in immediately. The girls quickly took advantage of it as Tohru practically tackled and wrestled with Jari to keep him still. Jari complained loudly as she attached blow-up floaties to his arms so she wouldn't have to worry too much about him. When she was at last satisfied, she smiled at Yuki, who was standing at the door, and went outside. Machi was close on her heels.

"Is that everybody?" Yuki asked, eyeing Kyo's outfit strangely. "Won't it be a bit odd to go swimming in shorts and a t-shirt?"

Kyo rolled his eyes. "Stupid rat. Obviously I'm not going to swim!"

"Still afraid of the water, then?" Yuki teased.

"No! I'd rather recline on the deck and soak up some sunshine, thanks."

Yuki shrugged. "Suit yourself. Oh, and in that case you can help yourself to some beer in the fridge."

Kyo grinned. "Excellent. You've learned, rat."

"Learned what? How to keep you entertained? All I need is some alcohol and a ball of yarn."

"Watch it, rat boy!" Kyo retorted laughingly as Yuki stepped outside, also chuckling to himself. Kyo cracked his knuckles as he turned to open the refrigerator and browse the choices. Smiling, he took out a beer and came out onto the deck. There, he settled onto a deck chair with sunglasses on the bridge of his nose and a beer in his hand.

Perfection.

Kyo couldn't imagine a better way to pass the day. He didn't have to worry about the kids for once, and could finally just watch them having fun. Plus, the view was lovely. As much as he loved watching Kyoko and Harumi play, he couldn't help but stare at his very cute wife. She looked absolutely adorable in her new bathing suit, and her appeal only amplified as she guided their two-year-old son through the water by blowing bubbles. Only Tohru could look attractive while blowing raspberries underwater…or maybe that was just his opinion…

Either way, the day was shaping out to be absolutely wonderful and Kyo couldn't be happier. Even spending time with Yuki was fine. The rat had really grown on him, and it was rather fun to watch him play with the girls since he always made such a fool of himself! Currently, the girls were trying to piggy-back ride on him, but every time they clambered on his back, Yuki would submerge and once they fell off, he would turn around and throw them in the air. Needless to say there was a lot of squealing and a lot of splashing going on.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pool, Tohru and Machi were talking while they simultaneously kept their eyes on Jari. Jari was oblivious to everything but the water, and he was quite the strong swimmer as he maneuvered around and splashed to his heart's content. Kyo wondered if his future career would involve swimming, and then thought that maybe it was too early to be thinking about that. Jari was only two years old after all! Kyo was getting a little ahead of himself!

The sun felt good on his skin, and even though it was hot, Kyo had the beer to cool down. Maybe it was just his mood, but the beer tasted even better to him today. He sighed in utter happiness. He desperately needed this break, too. He was in the last stages of the addition and it wasn't easy work. He'd been doing a lot of overtime as he went from training students at Kazuma's dojo straight home to provide some finishing touches on what would be his own dojo. It was going well, but, on top of looking out for the kids, it was exhausting. Kyo didn't know how Tohru managed it. He could only chock it up to the fact that she was amazing. Even as she ran around with the kids, cooked dinner, went shopping for food, cleaned the house, did the laundry and always greeted him with a smile, she had still brought up the idea of starting her own cleaning service. She had insisted that she could bring a little more income to help out, and although Kyo knew that that would the perfect job for her, he was against it. She worked so hard already and he didn't want to see her overexert herself. Tohru had let the subject drop but Kyo knew she was determined about it, and as such, it would definitely come up again.

But he didn't want to think of those things. Today was too nice to reflect on past arguments. He yawned widely and stretched as he laid back and closed his eyes. Suddenly he heard his name being whispered conspiratorially. He squinted open an eye to see that Yuki, Harumi and Kyoko had gathered in a huddle. What was that rat planning? He caught Kyoko's eye and she hurriedly glanced away as she suppressed a giggle. Kyo felt a strange sense of foreboding… He decided to let whatever happen happen.

He heard the movement before he felt the water. He sat up in time to get sprayed in the face by drops of water as the girls, plus Yuki, splashed water at him from the edge of the pool.

"Ahh!!" he screamed dramatically, although in reality only half of it was fake. He wanted to share some pleasant words with Yuki but being around the kids had forced him to curb his rather…aggressive…tendencies, so he put his energy into the show. He carefully set his beer on the table next to his chair as he clutched at his chest, pretending to be wounded. He fell onto the deck and moaned theatrically.

"Oh no! Not water! My one weakness!"

It was sad how true that actually was. But he decided not to dwell on that.

"Daddy!" Kyoko called as she ran up the steps of the pool and leaned over him anxiously. "Are you okay?" she asked him. Kyo couldn't help but cough as her hair dripped directly onto his face.

"I'm feeling faint!" Kyo said in a haughty tone as he made a face. Kyoko broke out into a smile. Suddenly, Kyo felt a very wet and squishy pile of limbs land squarely on his chest. "Oof!" he breathed as Jari backed up to physically launch himself at his father again. "Okay, no more jumping on Daddy, or Daddy's ribs are going to break," he moaned in a small voice.

"Jari!" Tohru chided as she stepped forward to grab her son. "What did Daddy say? Enough."

"Don't worry, Daddy! I'll heal you!" Kyoko cried as she uttered some nonsensical words with her eyes closed. Then, she put her hands on his chest and opened her eyes. "There! All better!"

Kyo gasped as he sat up. "Wow, that worked great! I feel wonderful! Good job, sweetie!"

Kyoko beamed up at him and then her face crumpled into laughter as Kyo began to tickle her.

"I'll have to pay such a good doctor with some tickling!" he declared as Kyoko wriggled, laughing breathlessly.

"No, Daddy! No!"

"I'm coming, Kyoko!" Harumi declared as she ran forward and tackled Kyo to stop him from tickling her friend.

Kyo lay on his back in pain as Machi frowned at her daughter.

"Harumi! What did Aunt Tohru just say? You know better than that! Now apologize."

Harumi hung her head as she muttered an apology to Kyo.

"That's alright," Kyo said as he sat up again and winced.

"Are you really okay?" Tohru asked, noting his pained expression.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine," Kyo replied quickly, accepting Yuki's hand as he lurched to his feet.

"Well, is anyone hungry? I have some popsicles—" Machi started.

"Yeah!" Kyoko and Harumi exclaimed.

Tohru smiled at them. "I could go for something too. Let's change out of these wet clothes now." The rest of the group agreed and went inside. From there, it was a tangle of limbs as they all changed back into their dry clothes and went to indulge in frozen, sugary treats known as popsicles.

They were all gathered in the living room enjoying the air conditioning when Tohru first noticed that someone was missing.

"Where's Jari?"

Kyo blinked. He glanced around. "Hmm…where did that little guy go? Jari?" he called as he stood up and surveyed the room. "Jari?"

"I'll find him!" Kyoko offered as she rose. She turned to Harumi. "Come on! It's like hide and seek!" Even though the girls made a game out of it, Kyo couldn't help but feel an urge of rising panic after they checked room after room with no success. Where was his son? Tohru looked equally worried and he went over to comfort her.

Kyoko was pouting when she returned to the living room. "Daddy, I can't find him."

"Where did he go?" Tohru wondered frantically. "I just dressed him and he was just here eating his orange popsicle!"

"It's alright, Tohru, I'm sure he's around here somewhere," Machi soothed her friend.

"Well he's not in the house. We checked everywhere!" Harumi commented.

"Then maybe he's outside…?" Machi's voice trailed off as the adults froze in horror. Yuki's widened eyes met Kyo's, and Kyo knew that the same thought had occurred to them both.

The pool.

Jari couldn't swim by himself.

Kyo's heart clenched in his chest as his airflow was completely cut off. Before he processed what he was doing, he was bolting toward the door. He ripped it open so fast he almost threw it off its track. Behind him called anxious voices, but he didn't even hear them. His heart was pounding furiously as he scanned the pool surface. Was it just a trick of the eye that he thought he saw dark spots at the bottom of the pool? Kyo didn't know if they were just shadows or…bodies floating beneath the surface…and didn't wait to find out.

Without thinking, he dove in with his clothes on. He surfaced and gasped for breath, not even registering that he was _swimming_ and that was something that he hated doing. His mind was focused entirely on his son. He dove down again and waved his arms about underwater, squinting through burning pupils in absolute desperation.

"Jari!" he screamed hoarsely as he surfaced, choking from the chemicals. "Jari!" Kyo was about to dive in again when he suddenly heard a small voice.

"Daddy?"

Kyo blinked through the pain to see, through a wavering film on his eyes, a small boy standing on the edge of the deck watching him curiously.

"Daddy, what're you doing?" Jari asked with a grin. "We already went swimming!"

The film on Kyo's eyes grew even wavier.

"Jari," he breathed in relief as he waded to the edge and wrapped his son in a hug. The rest of the group had already spilled out onto the deck and Tohru cried out as she dropped to her knees and hugged Jari from behind.

"Mommy, whatsa matter?" Jari scowled in confusion.

"Nothing sweetie," Tohru sniffled.

"Thank goodness," Machi whispered as she leaned into her husband.

Yuki smiled in return. "Yes, thank goodness." He squeezed Machi to him.

Meanwhile, Kyoko and Harumi were baffled at what was going on. They regarded each other and shrugged.

When Kyo at last let go of his son, he realized what kind of situation he had put himself in. He was soaking wet and in his _clothes_. His throat stung and his eyes burned fiercely. He couldn't help but grimace as he sloshed up the pool stairs and onto the deck. He was grateful that the crisis had been averted, but now he was in another state of misery.

It didn't help that Yuki burst out laughing.

Kyo's lip twitched. "You think this is funny?" he snarled, biting back some harsh names.

"No, it's…hilarious!" Yuki cried, doubling over. "I'm sorry but you just look like…a wet cat!"

Kyo was about to retort when he noticed that Tohru was barely containing herself as well. She was trying to hide her laughter, but her shaking shoulders gave it away. Machi was acting a bit politer than her husband, but Kyo could see that Yuki's mirth was affecting them all. Soon, the girls were giggling even though they didn't quite understand the joke, and even Jari was smiling.

At last Kyo's shoulders slumped dejectedly and he let a grin appear on his face. He supposed that they all needed some relief from the previous tension, even if it was at his expense. What Kyo didn't expect, however, was for them all to completely lose it when Jari spoke up suddenly, a serious expression on his young and innocent face.

"Daddy, why did you go swimming with your clothes on?"

* * *

"Kanpai!" sang a chorus of voices as they clinked their glasses together. As one, Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, Machi, Rin, Haru, Kazuma, Momiji, Kisa and Hiro tilted back their heads and swallowed down a few gulps of beer or sake (or in Tohru's and Kisa's case, a very fruity drink). After they had all breathed out in satisfaction, Kyo spoke up.

"Thanks for coming, everyone! Hope you enjoyed the grand unveiling of my new dojo!"

"And it only took you, what, seven years to finish it?" Yuki commented, smirking at Kyo's annoyed expression. "You started it before even Kyoko was born, right?"

"Well, at least it's done now," Kyo muttered savagely, coughing as Haru suddenly clapped him on the back.

"And I expect you to teach our girls to kick some ass in it!" he exclaimed. He eyed Kazuma sheepishly. "Well…Kyo's closer…" he explained feebly, causing Kazuma to laugh.

"Oh, I'm not offended, don't worry! Kyo will need some students to get him started, and I'm sure there are plenty in this area."

Momiji giggled. "There sure is going to be a generation of tough girls, though! Poor Jari will be outnumbered!"

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. It certainly seemed a strange fluke that the first of the next generation of Sohmas happened to all be female. First, there was Kyoko, then Harumi, and then after that came Rin's and Haru's daughter Emiko and a year later, Natsumi. Then, shortly after their marriage, Kisa and Hiro's daughter had been born. Young Mieko was currently sleeping soundly in her carrier on the ground, oblivious to all the noise both from the adults and the other children in the yard.

"Well, Hatori-san has a son," Kisa mentioned.

"Too bad he was too busy to come," Tohru added. "I'm sure Jari would've had fun playing with a boy his age."

"Aw, Tohru, I think Jari's fine with his sister," Kyo remarked as the adults paused to watch the children playing across the lawn.

The group of kids was too busy having fun to care what the adults were doing. Kyoko and Harumi were at the head of the group, seeing as they were the oldest at 5 and 4-and-a-half, and they took their roles seriously. It was up to them to decide which fun games they would play, and it was Harumi who suggested that they play house. Kyoko had excitedly agreed that it was a good idea, and immediately began to designate the roles of the others.

"Alright, Harumi, you can be the mom. I'm going to be the older sister. Jari, what do you want to be?"

On the cusp of three years of age, Jari was a little young for the game but was eager to play anyways.

"I want to be the dad!" he cried out. "And I'll mow the lawn!" He vibrated his lips to simulate the sound of an engine as he raced along the grass with his hands outstretched, pretending to be steering the lawnmower.

"Ok, and Natsumi, you can be the baby."

Natsumi was only a few months younger than Jari, and unlike her older sister Emiko, she looked far much more like her father. Whereas Emiko was an adorable replica of her mother, Rin, Natsumi had lighter hair and facial features reminiscent of her Haru.

"Ok!" she squealed as she threw herself on the ground and began to crawl like a baby. Harumi, as the mother, instantly went to care for her.

"So, the house is here, and here," Kyoko indicated, pointing to spots on the lawn where the imaginary house stood. "And right there where Natsumi is, that's the nursery. The kitchen's over there and way over there is the backyard." As Kyoko pointed out the specific locations, she noticed Emiko standing a little ways away, just observing them with a sad face.

Kyoko wasn't one to hate anyone, but Emiko, at three years old, was a bit annoying and too aggressive for her taste. The first time she had tried to play with the girl, Emiko had pushed her over and made her scrape her knee. Although her mom had made her apologize, Kyoko wondered if she really meant it. Emiko did seem awkward and was not as open as her younger sister, so it confused Kyoko and made her want to stay away.

When Tohru had first told her that Rin and Haru were coming with their daughters, Kyoko had complained about Emiko, saying that she didn't want to play with her. Tohru had reacted badly to this, and had proclaimed that Emiko didn't mean to be so violent, and that she just had a little trouble playing with other kids. Tohru told Kyoko that she should give Emiko a chance, because it was really mean to not include everyone and leave someone out. Tohru had asked how she would feel if the others didn't let her play with them, and Kyoko had admitted that she would feel very sad.

Of course, part of her still didn't want to play with Emiko. Even though it was mean, she felt that she had made her own friends and wanted to play with them in the way she wanted. Why should she make an exception to include Emiko? She and Harumi had been friends forever, and she wanted to play with her without having to worry about someone else.

But Kyoko was Tohru's daughter through and through, and she had a large heart. When she saw Emiko standing apart from the group, watching awkwardly (and jealously when her eyes were on her sister), Kyoko decided to reach out to the girl. Pivoting her body so that she could be seen by both Emiko and the others, she gasped loudly.

"What is it?" Harumi asked anxiously as she ran over to where her friend was pointing at the ground. "What do you see, sweetie?"

"Mommy, it's a baby kitty! Do you see it?" Kyoko cried, glancing upward and grinning in satisfaction to see that she had piqued Emiko's curiosity.

"Aww, it's so cute!" Harumi exclaimed.

"Kitty!" Natsumi added as she crawled next to her "mother."

"Wow, look at that!" Kyoko continued, ushering for Emiko to come and look. Biting her lip, Emiko replied to the summons and halted beside Kyoko. She stared at the ground and frowned.

"There's nothing there," she said, disappointed.

"No, there is!" Kyoko insisted. "See? It's a pretty white kitty with orange and black on it. It has one black paw and one black ear. It's a calico cat!"

"But…there's nothing there," Emiko repeated, scowling.

Kyoko sighed. "Well, not _really_! We're pretending there is. You know, imagination?"

"Oh," Emiko said without energy.

Kyoko wondered how to get Emiko excited about their game. "Do you want to play with us? You can imagine that there's something next to the kitty."

Emiko frowned thoughtfully, and then her face brightened. "How about a pony?"

"A pony?" Harumi repeated doubtfully.

"Sure, why not?" Kyoko interrupted. "So there's a pony, and you discovered it because you're the…older brother? We're playing house."

"Older brother? Why am I the brother?"

"Because everything else has been taken already."

"But I want to be the older sister!" Emiko demanded stubbornly.

This was going to be harder than she thought. "But _I'm_ the older sister!" Kyoko replied petulantly.

"Umm," Harumi cut in. "Maybe you both could be the older sister? You could be twins!"

Both Kyoko and Emiko glanced at each other and smiled exuberantly.

"Yeah!" they exclaimed.

"So we're going to be dressed alike, and we're going to say the same things, ok?" Kyoko clarified with Emiko, who nodded happily. "I love kitties and ponies!" Kyoko cried out.

"I love kitties and ponies!" Emiko echoed, linking arms with Kyoko and skipping around the spot where the "animals" were still nestled in the grass.

"Honey, I'm back from work!" Jari declared as he reentered the scene, went over to Harumi and pretended to give her a kiss. He then bent down to do the same thing with Natsumi, who reached up to her "father" while squealing excitedly.

The game went rather far as Kyoko and Harumi came up with some great ideas to incorporate. Both girls had vivid imaginations, and were able to think of scenarios that intrigued the others and kept the game alive for a good while. Only after Mieko awoke from her nap and hobbled into their area that some of the younger kids began to get annoyed and cranky. Protesting loudly, Natsumi and Emiko were removed by their unrelenting parents and brought inside for naps.

Jari similarly planted his feet on the ground as Kyo came to take him away. He scowled fiercely.

"NO!" he yelled, wriggling out of his father's reach as Kyo tried to grab him.

"Jari, it's naptime. You need to go take a nap," Kyo stated forcefully, not taking no for an answer.

"Daddy, no!" Jari stamped his foot obstinately. "Nooo!!"

Kyoko meanwhile stifled a yawn. "Jari, come on. I'm tired too. Let's go take a nap."

Jari took one look at his sister and dropped his entire attitude. He complacently followed Kyoko inside as Kyo looked on in amazement, winking secretly at Kyoko as she disappeared into the house with Jari close on her heels.

Kyo rolled his eyes as he returned to the adults. Harumi had followed and immediately made a beeline for her mother, whom she crumpled into.

"Mommy I'm not tired," she whimpered. "I don't wanna take a nap!"

Machi sighed. "You did take one before you came…" she reasoned. "Alright, but you're going to have to play with Mieko."

Harumi brightened. "Okay!" The four-and-a-half-year old bounced over to the toddler and began to play.

"Well that was relatively painless," Kyo commented wryly as his face suddenly took on a dramatic happy expression. "Reminds me of the good ole days before Jari was born…"

"Harumi does seem like a very good girl," Kazuma spoke up. "Very easy to deal with, unlike my grandson!"

Haru laughed. "I hear you guys there! You think Jari's bad? Emiko still puts up a fight about everything, just like someone I know…" Haru elbowed his wife pointedly.

Rin glared at Haru. "I do not fight about everything!" she protested before blushing, realizing what she had said.

Momiji giggled. "I love how all of your kids reflect all of you! It's so cute! Although I'm not sure who Mieko will most likely resemble," he added as he grinned at Kisa and Hiro.

"If she has any sense, she'll turn out like her mother," Hiro muttered, but his eyes sparkled with pride as he gazed at his daughter and then at his blushing bride. Kisa shrugged in embarrassment but grabbed Hiro's hand and squeezed tightly.

"So Momiji," Tohru spoke up, "When are you going to find someone?"

Hatsuharu feared the worst as Momiji glanced down at the ground, but then he lifted his face and a bright smile appeared.

"Well, I kind of already have!"

The group stared at him.

"Really?" Tohru pressed, excited. "What's her name? What's she like?"

"You're going to laugh but…her name's Usagi."

"No way!" Kyo interjected, laughing. "You're joking, right?"

"Why would you go out with someone whose name means 'rabbit'?" Hiro demanded, eyeing the blond strangely.

Momiji laughed. "No really, I swear that's her name! I know it's a very weird coincidence, but she's very sweet and very beautiful."

"How did you two meet?" Kisa wondered.

"Well, to make a little extra income, I've been advertising for violin lessons, since I know enough to teach the basics. What I didn't expect was for someone like her to want to learn the violin! I was mostly aiming at teaching kids, but then she showed up! Turns out that it's always been her dream to learn the violin, and she's only just had the opportunity."

"So romantic!" Kisa and Tohru sighed.

"Oh yeah? Well I'd like to see this girl," Kyo posed doubtfully.

Momiji smiled at him. "I was thinking of asking her to attend the New Year's Celebration with us."

A silence fell suddenly upon the group, and only Tohru seemed left out as to what its source was.

"What—?" she asked in confusion, glancing at everyone's darkened faces.

"You haven't heard about it, Tohru onee-chan?" Kisa pondered.

Tohru shook her head as she gazed at Kyo, who looked awfully guilty.

"I meant to tell you…but we got an invitation for it a little while ago."

"Yeah," Haru added. "It's from Akito and Shigure, and they're wondering if it would be okay to reinstate the annual New Year's Celebration with the Zodiac animals. They even said we could bring the kids along, since they're starting early and providing a room for the kids to sleep in while us adults stay up all night."

"And it's at the Sohma compound," Kyo clarified.

Tohru was still confused. "But why is it such a problem? It sounds fun, and Akito-san is different now—"

"So what if she's different? This party is like her way of forcing us back into our old molds as cursed Zodiac animals. We're different people now!" Rin exclaimed.

"Don't you think you're all overreacting a little bit?" Momiji remarked. This earned him a glare from Rin.

"I swore I would never go back there. There are too many…memories…" she trailed off.

"You think you have memories there?" Yuki spoke up abruptly, causing some of the others to blanch and Machi to look sad. They all knew that Yuki had been isolated and locked away from them with Akito, and that he had suffered great mental and physical abuse at the compound. Yuki sighed wearily. "We all have memories there, and yes, most of them are unpleasant, but why should we not take the chance to change that? We can make the Sohma compound a place we want to be at, instead of a place to avoid."

Rin scoffed. "You tell yourself that, then."

"Is it really the place that's the problem? Or is it Akito-san?" Tohru whispered as she locked eyes with the other woman.

Rin squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want my daughters to get hurt," she admitted softly. Tohru suddenly ran over and embraced her warmly.

"I understand," she said into Rin's hair, "But Akito-san is trying really hard to get better. She's very sorry, and she would never hurt anyone! You can trust her!"

"It's true," Kyo added. "She's come over on many occasions and she's only…gotten nicer. I think that pervert Shigure's helping too."

Haru grinned. "I haven't seen that old dog around in awhile. Should we give it a chance, dearest?"

Rin met everyone's positive gazes and sighed. "Alright. I guess we'll go."

Tohru smiled brilliantly. "And we'll all be there, so it'll be okay!" She paused to frown for a moment. "Except, Kagura won't be there because she left to study in America, and I don't think Kureno-san will be able to make it. Arisa-chan is pregnant and she's due around then!"

"Really?" Kisa breathed as her eyes lit up. "How wonderful!"

"That certainly is great news," Kazuma agreed, feeling very proud of not only his foster son, but also of students that felt more to him like his own children. He gave Haru and Rin a particularly broad, confident smile.

"Yay! So I'll see you all there, and you can all meet my girlfriend!" Momiji exclaimed as he jumped in the air in his excitement.

"Calm down, will you? You're as crazy as the kids with your energy!" Kyo muttered. All of a sudden, he tilted his head up to stare at the sky where a roiling patch of gray clouds had obliterated the blue. "It's going to rain," he stated, wincing as a drop fell on his forehead.

"Oh no, I forgot to cover the motorcycle…" Haru said, scowling at his own forgetfulness.

"You actually have a motorcycle now?" Yuki asked him as his upper lip curled in amusement, recalling Haru's bicycle from years before.

Haru nodded proudly. "Yeah! It's a sweet bike."

"You should've driven it here," Momiji admonished.

Haru shrugged. "I think its coolness would've diminished with a car seat on the back." While the others laughed at the ridiculous image, Rin frowned at him.

"There is no way I am letting the girls drive with you on that thing," she stated with finality.

"I figured," Haru grumbled, hiding a grin. Rin punched him in the arm and laughed at his face. "That's where your daughter gets her violent streak from, you know," Haru pointed out as he rubbed the sore spot.

Rin smirked. "She'll learn even more if her daddy even thinks about placing her or her sister on the back of that bike."

"Is that a threat?" Haru simpered as he got in Rin's face. Rin smiled seductively.

"Can you flirt on your own time?" Hiro complained, causing him to get cuffed on the back of the head from Haru.

"Oi, I'm enjoying myself here!" he cried indignantly.

"Well you'll have to enjoy yourself inside. It's starting to rain," Kyo mentioned wryly.

"Daddy, Mommy it's raining!" Harumi said as she wrapped her legs around her mother and hugged her.

"Yeah, so we better get inside," Yuki insisted.

As a group, the family moved inside the house and Tohru immediately offered them some more food and drinks. Kyo, in the meantime, hurriedly brought everything else inside that they didn't want to get wet. Since they were a fairly large group, Tohru invited them into the new dojo which was the most spacious area of the house. Once they all piled into it, they began to hear rumblings of thunder in the distance. As more time passed, the skies began to darken and Tohru had to turn on the lights in the dojo.

All of a sudden lightning flashed, followed by a huge thunderclap that sent Harumi whimpering into her mother's side. Mieko began to cry and Kisa immediately went to soothe her. The next rumble of thunder growled menacingly overhead, growing in intensity until things on the shelves began to rattle with the vibrations. Another deafening crash exploded above them and the doorway to the dojo was abruptly filled with small, frightened faces.

"Mommy!" Emiko sniffled as she dragged her sister over to Rin and collapsed into her lap, shaking in fear. Natsumi didn't look as scared as her sister, but she still clutched at her father with quivering hands. They were immediately followed by Kyoko and Jari. The young boy had tears streaking down his face as he raced toward Tohru and burrowed into her chest. She embraced him warmly as Kyoko leaned into Kyo, who draped an arm around her protectively. Thunderstorms didn't bother her —she was too old for that— but the other kids' fear was making her nervous and she didn't quite know how to deal with that.

"There, there, sweetie," Kisa hummed as she rocked Mieko gently. The toddler was calming down, but the thunder had not abated so she was still agitated. In fact, the storm seemed to only get worse. At one point, they were all blinded and deafened almost simultaneously as the storm bit down ferociously. An instant after the recovery, the lights went out, and over some of the younger one's cries, they could hear the beep from somewhere in the house that indicated that they had lost power.

Kyo left Kyoko next to her mother as he felt his way into the kitchen and then the hallway closet where he removed a lighter, some candles, and some flashlights. As he arranged them on the dojo floor, he heard that the kids were not settling down. The combined forces of darkness, noise and light sure made the world seem like a terrifying place. He could definitely sympathize with them, and wondered what he could do to alleviate their panic. Eyeing his daughter's shadowy face as he sat down, Kyo abruptly recalled how he used to calm down Kyoko when she was scared.

"Who wants to hear a story?" he asked aloud, drawing the attention of the others. Kyo smiled as he saw wide eyes peep out at him curiously.

"I do," Kyoko replied eagerly. "It'll be another one of Toki's adventures, right?"

Kyo chuckled. "I suppose so."

"Toki's adventures? What's that?" Harumi spoke up softly as she stared at Kyo.

"It's a great story that my daddy makes up. He tells good stories!"

"Does he now?" Haru wondered, hoping to distract his girls from the storm. "How do they usually start?"

Kyo smiled slightly in embarrassment. He had never expected that this private moment between he and his daughter would ever be shared publicly.

"Well, I usually ask for some characters."

"Toki!" Kyoko answered immediately without skipping a beat.

Kyo swiftly planted a kiss on her head. "Of course, sweetie! These _are_ Toki's adventures." Kyoko giggled and nuzzled into her father.

"Can I be in it?" Jari asked cautiously as he finally lifted his head out of Tohru's chest.

"Sure," Kyo agreed. "Anyone else?"

"Can there be a pony in it?" Emiko spoke up shyly. "A pony named Ichigo?"

Kyo grinned as he nodded. "Of course."

"Start the story, start the story!" Kyoko interrupted impatiently.

"Okay," Kyo cleared his throat. "So, one day Toki was looking for some friends to play with. As he wandered around the house, he went upstairs and noticed that Jari was still awake, even though he was supposed to be taking a nap. He asked Jari if he wanted to join him, and Jari thought that was a good idea so he went along with him. Kyoko?" Kyo turned to his daughter so she could add more details. Considering that Kyoko was fidgeting anxiously, eagerly awaiting her moment to shine, she chimed right in.

"Toki and Jari decided to go on an adventure! They wanted to climb a mountain! They went outside and found that a mountain was in their backyard! They didn't know how it got there, though. It just grew from the ground overnight!" Kyoko glanced at her mother. "Want to add something Mommy?"

Tohru smiled. "Why don't we include everyone? We could go around in a circle."

"Yeah!" Kyoko cried but then winced as a crash of thunder interrupted her. Jari again buried his face in Tohru as she held him close and stroked his back.

"Let's see… So they are climbing a mountain and then they came upon a vegetable garden! They only realized at that moment that they hadn't eaten breakfast, so they were starving! They knelt down on the ground and began to dig up some carrots, which they ate. Carrots are very good for you and it was a good thing that they ate them, because then they felt stronger!" Tohru paused as she heard a strange sound. She turned to blink at her husband who was chuckling. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked in sudden alarm.

Kyo shook his head, still laughing softly. "Only you, Tohru, only you," he chuckled.

Tohru blushed. "What did I say?"

Kyo waved his hand dismissively. "Go on," he encouraged.

Tohru gave Kyo one last questioning glance before she continued.

"Alright, so Jari and Toki felt much stronger and knew they could make it up the mountain. Unfortunately, the mountain was very high and they didn't know where to start. Yuki-kun, did you want to add something?"

Yuki started as Tohru addressed him suddenly. He fumbled for something to say.

"Um…okay. All of a sudden, as they were looking up at the mountain, they heard a growling behind them."

"What was it?" Harumi perked up as she regarded her father with wide eyes.

"It was…a bear," Yuki stated ominously.

Harumi gasped. "Oh no! What did they do?"

Yuki eyed Machi with a smile. "I don't know. What _did_ they do?"

Machi bit her lip, realizing that Yuki was passing his turn onto her.

"The bear didn't mean to sound so…mean. He had a thorn in his paw, and it hurt him a lot. The reason that he had a thorn in his paw was because he had been eating some raspberries, and had not looked at where he had put down his paw. It was very silly on his part. As he saw Jari and Toki, he wanted to ask for help but it came out as a growl."

"They helped him, didn't they?" Harumi spoke up. Machi ushered for her daughter to continue the tale. "Well, of course they did! Toki was able to know that the bear wasn't really mean, so he jumped onto the bear's head and whispered in his ear. He told the bear to calm down, and that they would help. As the bear calmed down, Jari came and took the thorn out of his paw! Then the bear felt much better. Okay, your turn!" she cried, indicating Hiro.

Hiro scowled to hide his embarrassment. "I…don't know what to say!" he exclaimed. Kisa giggled beside him as she deposited Mieko in his arms.

"Just think of anything," she urged.

Hiro racked his brain. "Fireworks. There were fireworks," he said stiffly as he cradled his daughter.

Kisa laughed. "That's it? Well, then I'll add a bit more. The fireworks lit up the sky with dazzling colors. What Jari and Toki didn't know was that there was a village hidden up in the mountain that was celebrating a festival! They had the festival every year, and it was to celebrate their leader's birthday! Their leader was very old and was very honored and respected, so the festival lasted for a long time. The fireworks helped Jari and Toki as they climbed the mountain because they were so pretty!"

"Where's Ichigo?" Emiko interrupted. She pouted. "I thought there was going to be a pony."

"There is! Go ahead," Kisa said with a smile.

Rin frowned. "You shouldn't interrupt like that."

Emiko hung her head as she pursed her lips.

Haru sighed. "I think your mom means continue the story." Rin gave him a look as Emiko looked up at her father and nodded.

"Ichigo was the leader's best friend. She was a present that he had gotten a long time ago. Ichigo was pink and sparkly, with a golden mane and hooves. Her mom was named Twinkletoe and they were the prettiest horses in the land. The leader was an old man who liked to ride them. But then Jari and Toki came and Ichigo wanted to go with them. She asked her mom and Twinkletoe said it was okay."

"Ichigo could fly!" piped up Natsumi.

"No!" Emiko angrily retorted at her sister.

"Emiko, why don't you let your sister have a chance?" Haru stepped in. Emiko pouted fiercely but relented at her father's gaze.

"Ichigo could fly," Natsumi repeated eagerly. "And Toki and Jari flew on her everywhere! Jari liked to fly most."

"I did?" Jari questioned as he poked his head out to eye a grinning Natsumi.

"Yup!"

Jari smiled back at her. "Yeah!"

"Oh, is it my turn now?" Haru spoke up after a few moments went by. "Hmm… While Jari and Toki were flying on Ichigo, they looked below them and saw something very odd. Apparently there was a road on the mountain, and on it was a cow riding a motorcycle!"

Yuki rolled his eyes. "You just had to do that, didn't you?"

Haru grinned wickedly.

"Why would a cow be riding a motorcycle?" Kyoko asked aloud, laughing. "That's so weird!"

"Isn't it?" Rin agreed as she cuffed her husband on the back of his head.

"Let's see you do better, then," Haru challenged. His eyes glinted as he regarded Rin.

She huffed. "Fine. Since the cow looked fine by himself, the others decided to pass on by without stopping," she glared pointedly at her husband as she said this, "After flying for a while, they began to get tired and decided to rest. They were sleeping in the forest when they heard a huge clomping noise. They woke up and saw that they were sleeping in the middle of a racetrack, and all kinds of vehicles were heading straight for them! They quickly got out of the way. They saw that all kinds of machines were involved, ranging from cars, to tractors, to space ships and even some were riding animals! At last, Jari asked Toki and Ichigo if they wanted to enter the race up to the top of the mountain, and they said yes."

Kazuma blinked as Rin smiled sweetly at her husband and tossed the figurative baton to the elder Sohma.

"Me?" Kazuma asked as he pointed to himself.

"Yes, Ojii-san!" Kyoko laughed as he made a face. "Go on with the story!"

"Oh. So Jari and the others were in the race, then, weren't they? Well, they wanted to make it to the top of the mountain first, so they went as fast as they could. It wasn't easy though, and Ichigo began to get tired. That was when Toki noticed a different path. They decided to try it out, and it ended up being a shortcut. They pulled ahead of everyone else and it was so close until Ichigo crossed the finish line at the head of the pack! Everyone waiting at the end cheered for them and Jari, Toki and Ichigo looked down the mountain and saw the town laid out before them. Because they were so high up, everyone looked like ants! And well…that's all I got…"

"Looks like I'll be the one to wrap this up!" Momiji cried. "Toki, Jari and Ichigo were celebrating their victory when they realized that they felt lonely. They wanted to have a party so everyone could be involved. They invited everyone from the race to hike down the mountain with them so they could try to find the hidden village. Luckily, the fireworks led them straight to the village and they asked if they could join the festivities. The people there welcomed them openly and there was a huge party where everyone ate tons of food, danced to wonderful music and had fun playing together. From there, they all lived happily ever after!"

Kyoko clapped wildly. "Yay! That was such a good story!"

"Let's do another one!" Harumi said. The other kids agreed and Kyo acquiesced to their demands.

No one noticed that the storm was long gone.

_A/N: So, there's a lot to talk about in this author's note. First, I must say, though, that this chapter was a lot of fun to write! And before I forget, sorry if you thought Momiji's girlfriend's name was lame...haha, I had to do it! Usagi is also NOT inspired by Sailor Moon, so yeah...I didn't even know that was her real name until my beta mentioned it... And also when Emiko brought up Ichigo, that wasn't inspired by the Anime Bleach, it just means 'strawberry,' which is cute. It was originally Momo ('peach,' lol), but then my beta pointed out the fact that that's Momiji's sister's name..._

_Anyways, I definitely felt like a little kid when I tried to get into the mindset of Kyoko and the others as they played house, so that was an interesting experience for an old person like me, haha! For a while after that, I didn't know who I was! Was I five years old, or eighteen? A lot of this stuff does come from my own childhood, so it was hard to know! Speaking of my childhood, many of these scenes were definitely inspired from actual events that occurred when I was young. Well, not so much the whole "OMG did Jari drown?" part. More the idea of swimming and then having popsicles, like I did at my neighbor's house. As for the second part, the story evolved out of my own imagination and what I thought the characters would contribute. Emiko's mentioning of "Twinkletoe" is also another plug at my childhood. Twinkletoe, the horse with a golden mane and hooves, was literally one of my first characters in one of the first stories I ever wrote, I think when I was in first grade. I still have it, actually, and it's quite amusing to read… _

_On that thread, I'm running out of cuteness ideas! I know, it's hard to believe, but I've actually exhausted a lot of them! I do have ideas for when they are older, but right now all I've got is scenes when Kyoko's five and then when she's fifteen. I can't seem to think of anything to take place in between those years. So, I thought I'd let my wonderful readers contribute their ideas! They could be things that happened to you when you were young, or just really cute scenes you want to see while the kids are still young. The ones that inspire me the most will be incorporated into the story!_

_One last thing. I've been thinking lately about whether or not I want the kids to learn about the Zodiac curse. I have an idea of how it would happen, but I want your opinion if you think it should. I want this story to be realistic, and I personally believe that Kyo wouldn't want to share that with his kids because there's just no point to it now that it's been broken. I do, however, concede that it would be cool for the kids to learn of it. So, what do you think? Go to my profile and vote now! It'll be at the top of the page. _

_Thanks for making it to the end, and as always, I love reviews! Hope you liked this chapter!_


	5. New Year's Celebration

_A/N: Holy wow this chapter is WAAAAY longer than I thought it would be! It surpasses the first one-shot's length, and that one was 18 pages!_

_So, anyways, after doing some research for this fanfic, I realized something. As realistic as I've wanted to be, I kind of messed up on a few details. No one mentioned these in reviews, but I feel the need to correct/explain them because I'm crazy like that. _

Kyo was planning to inherit Shishou's dojo_. I guess I addressed that in the second chapter, where he wanted to create even more challenges for himself so he could really live his life. This includes building his OWN dojo in my story here._

"Stupid rat" instead of "Damn rat."_ I think he's been saying "stupid rat" because he toned it down in front of the kids. Because "stupid" is better than "damn" …right?_

Hatori and Mayu are rather old to be having children (they're in their late 30s, early 40s)._ All I can say is just go with it because it's cute as you will soon see! Besides, Shishou looked damn sexy when he was actually close to being 40!!_

Tohru calls Rin "Rin-san" instead of "Isuzu-san." _That was just my bad for not having read the manga in a while…I suppose they've gotten more familiar with each other by now?_

_As you can tell, I've been reading the manga again (which has prompted the aforementioned corrections) and I LOVE KNOWING THE FUTURE! Even reading it again is AMAZING! I can't stop squeeing even though I know what's going to happen!_

_Oh, right, I should probably shut up. People just want to read the chapter now. So yeah, go do that! Bye!_

_

* * *

_

"Now I want you both to behave, do you understand me?" Kyo warned in a serious tone as he eyed the rearview mirror. In its image, he saw Jari squirming in his car seat and knew that Kyoko was just next to him. "Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Daddy. Don't worry about me!" Kyoko stated happily. She was very excited about New Years at the Sohma compound, and she had a hard time bottling up her eagerness to be there already. She couldn't wait to see how big it was, or to meet all the different people that would be there! This was her first trip there and she had been looking forward to it for what seemed like forever!

"Jari?" Kyo repeated. He glanced at his son pointedly in the mirror and saw Jari nod.

"Yup! Got it," he said as he struggled against his seatbelt.

Kyo sighed and glanced at Tohru in the front seat. She met his gaze and smiled, knowing what he was thinking.

"I'll keep a close eye on him," she promised.

"Make that two eyes and we might survive this," Kyo muttered under his breath.

Tohru giggled. "You don't seem very excited for this party. Aren't you glad you'll get to see everyone?"

"Shishou's the lucky one for not having to go," Kyo grumbled, oblivious to his wife's questioning.

Tohru sighed. "Anata, we don't have to go…"

"No, Mommy!" Kyoko shouted accusingly as she practically jumped out of her seat.

"Tohru, Kyoko, calm down! I'm fine. We're still going," Kyo quickly cut in.

"Good!" Kyoko replied. "I can't wait to see Harumi!"

Tohru eyed her husband. "Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.

Kyo's face softened. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just a little tense, I guess. I'm not a big fan of the Sohma compound."

"I understand, but it'll be okay," Tohru assured him as she affectionately leaned into his arm and closed her eyes. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," Kyo answered immediately, deftly planting a kiss on her head as he steered into the driveway of the Sohma compound. They unloaded the car and headed into the celebration hall. The room was filled with decorations, and one entire side was made up of a long table loaded with food. Other tables dotted the room and one corner was devoted to toys and other objects that could entertain the children while their parents chatted with one another. A stage had been erected on the far length of the room, and above it hung tapestries depicting a dog and a boar.

Upon noticing them, Tohru whispered to Kyo, "It's odd that this will be the year of the boar, but Kagura-chan won't even be here." She giggled at the relieved look on Kyo's face.

"Well, I don't think this is going to be like the previous celebrations. If it is, I'm out of here – I really don't want to see Shigure dance!" Kyo laughed at the image in his head.

"Daddy!" Jari whined, impatiently tugging on Kyo's hand.

"What is it?" Kyo asked him, but he already knew that the energetic three-year-old just didn't like to stand still for so long. They were both distracted when Tohru suddenly gasped.

"Ritsu-san!" she called out, waving frantically. With a purposeful stride, she led the family over to where Ritsu was standing.

"Tohru, Kyo!" Ritsu smiled at them as they approached. "It's good to see you! It's been a while!"

Kyo appraised him with a raised eyebrow. "You seem…different. And it's not just because you're wearing men's clothing…"

Ritsu blushed fiercely. "U-uhh…"

"Hello there! Oh wait, I've seen you before," said a woman with short brown hair who appeared at Ritsu's side. She was wearing a blue suit and looked awfully familiar…

A light bulb went on in Tohru's head. "Mitsuru-san!" she cried out.

"Yes, that's me. And you're Tohru right? And Kyo?"

They nodded respectively.

"Are you here to see Shigure-san?" Tohru blurted innocently, recalling that Mitsuru had been Shigure's editor. She stopped smiling as the color drained from Mitsuru's face. Her jaw slackened and the light in her eyes died.

"Shi-Shigu-re," she strained through barely parted lips. She appeared on the verge of fainting.

Ritsu hurriedly jumped in. "My my! Kyoko and Jari sure have gotten big!" he exclaimed as he knelt before them. "Look, Mitsuru! Look how adorable they are!"

Mitsuru blinked and slowly came out of her brain-dead stupor. "Huh? Oh, they are indeed!"

Ritsu chuckled nervously.

"You're funny, Ritsu-san!" Kyoko giggled as Jari pouted grumpily, not liking to be called "adorable." Ritsu winked at them as he stood up.

"So, if you're not here to see…_him_…, why are you here?" Kyo asked Mitsuru curiously.

"Oh well, actually…she's with me," Ritsu admitted as he linked arms with his girlfriend. He blushed slightly as they smiled at each other.

"Really? How lovely!" Tohru exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you both! I had no idea! You should have come to visit!"

"I would have, but I've been pretty busy lately at my new job, and we just got an apartment together so…"

"Wow! How long have you two been dating?" Kyo spoke up, recognizing what a big step that was.

"Three years?" Ritsu answered uncertainly, glancing at her for clarification.

"Three years, four months and six days, to be exact," Mitsuru corrected. She shrugged when she caught Kyo's questioning look. "I've always had a memory for dates…like deadlines for books…" She shuddered violently.

"I'm surprised you were able to convince her to come, knowing that _he's_ here," Kyo remarked wryly.

Ritsu chuckled. "Yes, well…."  
"Hope she's not planning on taking revenge or anything like that."

Both men turned to Mitsuru, whose eyes abruptly blazed as an evil grin contorted her features. She began to rub her hands together eagerly as she licked her lips.

"Uhh…Ritsu?"

"We may leave before it comes to that!" Ritsu said hurriedly, pulling Mitsuru away. "But I think we best be off for now. Your kids look a bit impatient."

Kyo and Tohru nodded knowingly.

"Alright, well we'll see you around!" Tohru declared cheerfully. "And if not, make sure to come visit, or maybe we'll come visit you!"

"Definitely," Ritsu agreed as he steered his girlfriend away while he simultaneously tried to distract her from her vengeful plans.

"Wow, he's really changed," Kyo mused as he watched them walk away. Tohru tacitly agreed until Ritsu accidentally knocked into someone carrying a tray of food, causing it to crash to the ground.

"I'm SO SORRY!!" Ritsu cried out in horror as he sank to his knees. "I APOLOGIZE TO THE UNIVERSE FOR BEING SUCH A CLUMSY, USELESS ADULT!!!"

Mitsuru fell beside him and began to wail in agony. "OH NO! WE SWEAR IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! WE DIDN'T MEAN TO BREAK THESE BEAUTIFUL DISHES!! PLEASE DON'T THROW US OUT OF THE PARTY!!"

Kyo's face fell. "Or not," he added, seeing as the true Ritsu had been exposed.

Tohru giggled. "Well, at least they're perfect for each other!"

"Yeah, because they can match decibel levels," Kyo muttered in annoyance, not appreciating their loudness.

After the commotion died down, Kyoko spotted a familiar face across the room.

"Look, there's Harumi!" Kyoko exclaimed, yanking on her mother. Tohru reluctantly let her daughter run over and began to follow at a slower speed.

"I'm going to go see if I can find some of the others," she informed Kyo as she turned away.

"I'll catch up with you," Kyo told her as she disappeared. "So, what shall we do, Jari? Jari?" he repeated, noticing his son's frown. "What's the matter?"

"There's another boy," Jari said, pointing. Kyo followed his gaze and grinned.

"Well, why don't we go introduce ourselves then?"

Jari didn't relent as Kyo led him over.

"Hatori!" Kyo greeted the older man and then stopped short. "And sensei…"

"Well look what we have here!" declared a woman with shoulder-length blond hair. She stood beside Hatori and was eyeing Kyo with a smirk on her face. "It certainly is odd see one of my own students so grown up now…and it's even stranger that we're related…"

Kyo wasn't quite sure how to react to this, especially since his former teacher was _very_ pregnant.

"Haha, I'm just joking with you! Sorry to freak you out, there! I see you have a little one as well." She leaned down (with some effort) and introduced herself. "Hi there. I'm Sohma Mayuko." She bowed her head slightly and Jari hesitated before copying her actions.

"I'm Jari," he mumbled without energy before perking up at the sight of a small face peeping out at him behind his father's legs. "Hey, who are you?"

Mayuko straightened and smiled proudly. "Taro, why don't you come out and say hi?"

The little boy had light brown hair and a very innocent face, but was quite frightened of being around so many people. He clutched at Hatori's legs and refused to come out.

Kyo couldn't help but smile at the pure love etched into Hatori's features as he eyed his son with a small smile of his own. Suddenly he turned around and swiftly picked up the boy in his arms. Taro hugged his father desperately and hid his head in his chest. Hatori chuckled.

"He's a bit shy," he admitted as Taro whimpered.

"Why?" Jari piped up, his whole face showing his utter confusion.

Having heard a small voice like his own, Taro peeked out curiously.

"Hi!" Jari cried with a wave as he brightened considerably. "I'm Jari!"

Taro revealed himself fully as he stared at Jari with wide eyes.

Hatori grinned and carefully set Taro on the ground. "Go introduce yourself," he encouraged gently.

Taro stepped forward cautiously and bit his lip. "I'm Taro," he said in a small voice as he abruptly bowed so quickly the adults thought he'd slam his head into the ground.

"Wanna play?" Jari questioned him excitedly, his entire face animated.

Taro paused and glanced back at his parents.

"Sure, sweetie," Mayuko said as he kissed him tenderly on the head. "Have fun boys!"

"Yay!" Jari cried triumphantly before Kyo grabbed him.

"You are _not_ to leave this room, got it?" he warned his son with a look that meant no nonsense.

Jari looked at his feet. "Okay."

Kyo softened. "Go have fun then," he excused him as he let go.

Jari beamed as he reached out and grabbed Taro's hand. The other boy barely had time to open his mouth before Jari was dragging him through the crowd. Taro anxiously glanced back at his parents as they vanished into the mass of people and furniture. He blinked to prevent tears as he looked back at Jari.

"Where are we going?" he asked Jari nervously.

"We're going esploring!"

"Esploring?" Taro gulped.

All of a sudden, Jari stopped. They were standing on the edge of the room near a closed door. Taro fidgeted uneasily.

"How old are you?" Jari demanded abruptly, jabbing a finger at Taro.

"Umm…almost three…"

"Yeah! I just turned three in October, so I'm older than you. That means you better listen to me. We're going to go esplore this place, so no questions!"

Taro frowned. "But we can't leave this room…your daddy said so."

Jari grinned wickedly as his eyes glinted. "So? You have a problem with that?" he challenged.

Taro eyed the floor. "No."

"Good. Now let's go! I wonder where what's behind this door?" Jari spoke as he cracked open the door and slipped inside. Despite his misgivings, Taro was close on his heels. Together, they wandered the strangely empty hallways of the Sohma compound and occasionally stuck their heads in different rooms to admire what they could. Unfortunately, much to Jari's disappointment, most of the doors were locked and the hallways weren't that interesting.

As they got farther and farther away from the main room, Taro began to get scared. He had never really been so far from his parents before and he didn't know how he felt about that. It didn't help that he was in a strange house and practically lost with a boy he had just met. At last he couldn't take it anymore. He prepared himself to break down and cry on the spot when he and Jari heard voices. They pulled up short and stared ahead of them at a cracked-open door with light streaming out of it.

"We should get out there, Shigure," came a low woman's voice. "We're the ones that invited them, after all."

"Mmm," murmured a deeper, male's voice. "Not yet. Let's let them catch up a bit while you collect your nerves."

"What are you talking about?" the woman demanded quickly, trying to hide her true apprehension but failing miserably.

The man chuckled. "Akito, you can never fool me. You're practically trembling. Let me help you."

The boys exchanged wide glances as they heard the soft patter of footsteps across the wooden floor followed by a sigh.

"Oh Shigure, why did I come up with this idea? Why did you let me go through with it?"

"You wanted to see everyone again, and finally got the courage to do so. Why would I have stopped you?"

"Because this place…this time…it's all..!"

"Koishii, you're over-thinking this. It's just a party."

"But it's not, Shigure! To them it's like me taking control again and I don't want to do that!"

"Akito, you need to calm down. You've made a lot of progress but suddenly you're letting it all fly away. Stop being so frantic, or else…" the man's voice trailed off into a suggestive whisper that went over the boys' heads. They were surprised when they abruptly heard the sound of kissing and giggling.

"Shigure, stop it!" the woman spoke laughingly before getting more serious. "My makeup — my kimono —! I spent hours getting ready — ohh, no, stop! Not _now_!"

"What are they doing?" Taro whispered loudly.

Jari shrugged as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I dunno. Sounds gross."

Taro frowned in contemplation when, all of a sudden, his nose tickled and he sneezed. As he clapped his hand over his mouth in horror and Jari gave him a severe look, the sounds from beyond the door stopped.

"What was that?" asked the man.

"Who would be in this part of the house?" hissed the woman hysterically.

The boys cowered as the door before them slid open. A man was silhouetted in the opening and he glanced down at them suspiciously.

"Hmm, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Taro hugged himself tightly as Jari swallowed.

"We got lost, sir," he said, trying not to let his voice quiver.

The man smirked as the woman's face echoed from within.

"Shigure, who is it?"

"Some rather unexpected visitors, I would say," the man, Shigure, laughed. He frowned as he observed them. "You look kind of familiar though. Who are you?"

"I'm Jari. Nice to meet you," Jari introduced himself as he bowed formally. Tohru would be proud of his manners. When Taro didn't copy his actions, he jerked his head pointedly and Taro hurriedly complied.

"Oh, and I'm Taro. Nice to meet you," Taro repeated, bowing.

"Did I hear Jari?" A woman suddenly came to stand next to Shigure. She wore a beautiful kimono and had shoulder-length black hair. She smiled down at them. "Hello Jari. Do you remember me? I suppose not. The last time I visited was when you were a bit younger. I'm Akito."

"Hi," Jari said, returning her smile.

"And Taro! You must be Hatori-kun's son!" Shigure exclaimed all of a sudden, his face lighting up. "Your father and I are very good friends!"

Taro glanced up shyly. This man knew his father? Then maybe he could take him back so he wouldn't be lost anymore with this strange boy!

"Aww you're so cute!" Shigure squealed. "You look just like your daddy!" He turned to Jari. "And oddly enough, you look very much like Tohru-kun!"

"You know my mommy?" Jari asked.

"Of course! She used to live in my house, you know," Shigure added haughtily before bursting out laughing. "A funny thought just crossed my mind!"

"What?" Akito questioned.

"Jari's exploring the compound like a curious cat! Get it? Because he's Kyo's son?"

As Shigure laughed ridiculously, Akito rolled her eyes.

"I don't think Kyo would appreciate that joke," she said with a smirk. "I honestly wonder sometimes where you came up with your…odd sense of humor."

Shigure winked. "Oh, you know I'm hilarious."

"I know that you're crazy for staying with me, but that's as far as I'm going. Anyway, I bet your parents are worried about you two. Why don't we head over to the party?"

They began to head down the hall when Shigure had an idea. "Would you like a ride, young man?" He directed his question to Taro, who looked a little glum. The young boy smiled timidly as he nodded. "I thought so. Alley-oop!" Shigure said as he hefted Taro off the ground and put him on his shoulders. Taro clung to Shigure's head as Shigure panted.

"What's the matter?" Akito grinned. "Too heavy for you?"

"No, I'm…fine," Shigure wheezed. "Just…a little out of…shape…"

"I'm sorry," Taro spoke softly, thinking it was his fault.

"I'm just joking!" Shigure jutted in playfully as he reached up to pat Taro on the knee. "I'm glad you can ride on my shoulders. I don't have any of my own to do this with, so I hope you don't mind. Besides, I think it's easier this way; otherwise you'd have to carry me!"

Taro giggled at the silly image in his head.

"Oh, and Jari-kun is it? Maybe when Taro-kun is done, I can give you a ride too," Shigure offered, not wanting to show blatant favoritism.

Jari folded his arms over his chest and shook his head. "I don't need a ride," he said as if he were offended. He was far too old to have to ride on an adult's shoulders. He was _three_ years old after all!

Shigure chuckled. "You look like your mother, but act like your father. How amusing!" He smiled until he noticed Akito's shadowed expression as they walked down the hall. "And here you go getting depressed again," he muttered.

Akito blinked in surprise and glanced up at him. "I'm sorry. I just can't help it. I forget sometimes what I was like, but then when I think of seeing them again, all those memories come rushing back. I was…so horrible," she whispered in agony.

"Yes, you were," Shigure agreed bluntly. Akito glared at him. "But you've changed and the others have recognized that accomplishment. You're always so hard on yourself when you see the others!"

"Well, they were not as lazy and indifferent as you were! They felt their curse! I just remind them of their pain!" Akito screamed at him in frustration.

On Shigure's shoulders, Taro whimpered fearfully as Jari kept his head down, not used to being around fighting like this.

Shigure sighed. "This is certainly not the place to be doing this. I'm so sorry, little ones. Akito here just doesn't realize how amazing she is and how much I looooooooooovvvvvveeee her!" Shigure shrieked in a silly voice as he swooped low and made Taro gasp in surprise and excitement.

"Wahh!" Taro cried as he desperately clutched at Shigure's hair. Even though he was frightened, it was rather fun at the same time. He found that he couldn't keep the smile off his face!

"Hey, no fair!" Jari declared as he grew jealous watching Taro having fun.

"I thought you didn't want a ride," Akito reminded him teasingly, trying to swallow her emotions for their sakes.

Jari pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't."

Shigure, panting hard, abruptly stopped and set Taro back on the ground. He began to rub his sore shoulders with a grimace.

"Again!" Taro cried as his face brightened. "That was fun, Uncle Shigure!"

Shigure sniffled as he brushed an imaginary tear out of his eye. "Uncle Shigure," he repeated, choked up. "Now I think I know how Aaya feels!"

"You're weird," Jari said with a scowl.

Shigure laughed delightedly. "You have no idea, little Kyonkichi." He ruffled Jari's hair and glanced around. "We're almost back to the party. How about a story before we get there? I think you'll find it very amusing since your father's in it, Taro-kun!"

"Really?" Taro perked up as Shigure bent and swung him back up onto his shoulders. Together, the small group slowly approached the party.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hatori's eyebrows creased into a frown as he watched his son disappear into the crowd. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kyo's son, and it wasn't that he feared Taro would do something foolish, it was just…they had never been separated before, and he didn't know quite how to feel.

Beside him, Mayuko sighed. "Excuse me for a moment, will you gentlemen?" she asked, smiling sweetly, as she stepped through them to head to the restroom.

Hatori still had that look on his face as Kyo grinned in recognition. "Don't worry," he assured the older man. "They'll be fine…hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Hatori repeated doubtfully, wondering if he should fear for his son's safety.

"Oh, no, not like that!" Kyo gestured awkwardly, finding it odd that he was trying to comfort Hatori. In fact, this whole conversation was rather awkward, considering that Kyo barely ever spoke to the man unless there was some kind of medical emergency. As far as he knew, Hatori was a mystery. The only thing that could be evinced from his face was a pure and undying love for his son, and Kyo could honestly say he felt the same way. At the very least, that was how he could relate to him. "It's nothing dangerous! Jari just likes getting into mischief from time to time. I'd hate for him to drag Taro into it, but he was just really excited that he could play with another boy his age."

Hatori nodded. "I understand. I just…fear that Taro may be too shy…"

"Well, Jari's outgoing enough for the both of them," Kyo shrugged.

Hatori smiled slightly. "I wonder where he gets that from."

"Hmm?" Kyo asked, confused.

"You've changed a lot, Kyo," Hatori explained.

Kyo squirmed uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, we all have…" he trailed off unsurely. Suddenly, from across the room there came a shout and Kyo's face immediately grew sour as Hatori rolled his eyes.

"HELLO KYONKICHI! GREETINGS MY DEAR COMRADE, TORI-SAN!"

"Except maybe for him," Kyo muttered in annoyance, continuing the previous thread of conversation.

"Yes, well, I never did think Ayame would change," Hatori added dryly. "He's the same as he was in high school."

"Ah, Kyonkichi! Tori-san! Did you not hear me bellow your names from the rooftops?" Ayame cried with a flourish.

"You weren't on the roof!" Kyo cut in.

Ayame ignored his comment and plunged forward. "It's so good to see you both! I was so excited for this gathering but I didn't know what to wear! I thought a dress would be absolutely ravishing for such a special occasion, but then I didn't want to be overdressed and outshine the lovely princesses at the ball! Although I must say that my choice of clothing does accentuate highlight my beautiful features and I can't help it if all the attention suddenly falls on me instead of the charming ladies here. It just happens naturally! I try so hard to fight it—"

"No you don't!" Kyo interrupted fiercely. He moaned under his breath, "How can this guy possibly keep getting _more annoying_??"

Hatori gathered himself as he faced Ayame. "Good to see you, too, Ayame."

Ayame drew himself up as tears shone in his eyes. "Did you hear that Mine? Hatori was so moved by my prolonged absence that he wept for me every day and desired only to see my face so that his heart could be lightened!"

"He didn't say that at all! And your wife isn't anywhere around here!" Kyo burst out.

"Ah, Kyonkichi," Ayame started.

"My name is Kyo!"

"Yes, I heard you, Kyonkichi," Ayame brushed him off as Kyo bristled angrily. "Where are your lovely children at this late hour? Still awake and running about?"

"They're off playing," he answered through clenched teeth.

"But you didn't say anywhere specifically. Is it that you let them roam free? How appalling! I thought you would've become a better parent by now! Goodness, I had no idea little Kyonkichi would become so negligent!"

"Don't lecture me about being a parent when you aren't one yourself!"

"Ayame," Hatori breathed wearily.

"Oh yes, right, now where was I? I was looking for Tohru-kun."

"Why?" Kyo wasn't sure if he even wanted to know.

"Well, Kyoko's birthday is coming up in a few months, and I don't get to see you all very often. Considering that she'll be entering elementary school, I was thinking I should make her a lovely new dress with Tohru-kun's ideas—"

"No, thank you!"

"Don't spoil my fun, now!" Ayame pouted. "Since you didn't answer where Tohru-kun is, am I to take it that you've lost her? Oh dear, I do hope no ones tries to pick her up without your knowledge!"

Kyo breathed out slowly, trying to calm himself. A strained smile appeared on his lips.

"You're right. I'm going to go find her. Nice talking to you," he said stiffly as he stomped away.

Hatori gave Ayame a look. "You just said that to make him leave, didn't you?"

Ayame assumed an affronted expression. "I wasn't lying about making Kyoko-chan a dress! I've had an idea in my head for some time now, and she's the oldest child so I figured it was only fair."

Hatori smirked, knowing Ayame really hadn't answered his question. "Fair? What about your actual niece?"

"Are you suggesting that I forgot about her? Certainly not! What kind of uncle would I be if I left Harumi out of the equation? Of course I've thought about her! Actually, I've made several hundred dresses for her, so I figured I would even out the score by making one for Kyoko."

Hatori blinked. "You've made Harumi _how_ many dresses?"

"Only about two hundred thirteen. Don't look at me like that! They're just prototypes!"

Hatori shook his head. "You are amazing, Ayame."

"Oh Mine, I could just faint from the sheer joy I feel in my heart! Twice in one day I have been complimented by the man of my dreams!"

"Don't tell Shigure about that," Hatori commented wryly. "He might get jealous."

"HA HA HA!" Ayame laughed boisterously. "You are hilarious indeed, Tori-san! Which reminds me, I've wanted to talk to you about something!"

Hatori sighed. "What is it?"

"Well, I just feel terrible. Here I am, the representation of beauty and youth, while you keep getting older and older! It is so unfair for me to outshine you, especially when you are a new father and should be shining more brightly than ever!"

"What are you getting at?" Hatori asked him shrewdly, sensing something deeper to their conversation.

"Tori-san, you know that I've always supported you from the days of our cherished childhoods. And always, I've wanted to know one thing: is Tori-san happy? You were once happy with Kana, but then you were hurt and now I must know: now that you are a married man and a father, are you two thousand times happier than you were with Kana? Tell me truthfully, and if it is not so, I will make it happen!" Ayame declared passionately.

Hatori's features softened. Ayame still worried about him after all this time.

"I have never been happier in my life than I am right now," Hatori spoke softly after a moment of consideration.

Ayame regarded him suspiciously and then accepted his answer with a vibrant, beaming smile.

"If you are happy, then I am happy!" he announced. "Now, if you don't mind, I must go find my darling brother and niece!"

"What about Mine? And finding Tohru?" Hatori reminded him with a small smile.

"They're around here somewhere, but I have my doting-uncle duties to attend to! That holds precedence over any other matter!" Ayame stepped boldly through the crowd just as Mayuko returned to her husband's side.

"Hey, where'd orangey go?" she wondered as Hatori slipped his hand over her own and squeezed.

"How are you feeling?"

Mayuko shrugged. "Pregnant."

Hatori chuckled softly. "I think you look beautiful," he whispered in her ear as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

Mayuko blushed. "You're not bad-looking yourself," she replied nervously.

Hatori smiled at that.

Yes, he truly had never been happier.

* * *

Tohru was following her daughter through the mass of people when she was stopped by someone calling her name.

"Tohru!"

She glanced up and saw Momiji waving at her. Recalling that she had promised to meet his girlfriend at New Years, Tohru made her way over to them, trusting that her daughter would be safe with Yuki's family.

As she approached Momiji, the first thing she noticed was his wide grin as his arm draped casually over his girlfriend's shoulders. Tohru smiled to see him so happy, knowing that he deserved it after all this time.

The next thing she noticed was his girlfriend's flaming red hair. Tohru had never seen something so red before. It was so vibrant she had to blink twice to erase the blinding image from her eyes.

"Tohru!" Momiji cried as he immediately went and embraced her.

Tohru smiled. "How have you been since I saw you last?"

"I'm doing great! Oh, Tohru, this is my girlfriend, Usagi. Usagi, this is Tohru."

Usagi grinned unsurely but bowed politely. "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm wondering if I should be jealous…"

"Eh?" Tohru squeaked.

Usagi burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding! Really, it is wonderful to meet you. Although I have to say that I _am_ slightly jealous after seeing you in person. You've had two kids and you look great!"

"Oh, uh, thank you?" Tohru stammered.

"Usagi, stop teasing her!" Momiji scolded gently.

Usagi dropped her head. "Sorry. I've never been to such a fancy party before, and I'm a bit awkward at social interactions."

"Oh no, not at all! You are doing very…well," Tohru hurriedly spoke up.

Usagi choked out a laugh. "Thanks for trying. I appreciate your effort, but I'm really horrible at this. You don't have to pretend."

"I'm not pretending! You seem very nice, and as long as that comes through, then your manners don't matter."

"You think so?"

"Yes, you are a very kind person! I can already tell."

Usagi chuckled. "Well, you're a very kind person for complimenting me despite my lack of manners." She sighed, "I really should've listened to my parents more."

"Your parents?" Tohru asked, interested.

"Yeah, they're back home right now probably celebrating the fact that I've finally gotten out of the house!"

Tohru blinked at this.

Usagi smacked herself. "Oh, Mo-sensei, I'm really screwing all of this up, aren't I? And I practiced so hard!" She let out a frustrated noise.

Momiji laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's not like you're meeting the president. This is just a family party, and Tohru doesn't mind, right, Tohru?"

"Not at all!" Tohru cried anxiously, although she was a little confused.

Usagi sighed. "Alright, then let me try again. Hi, I'm Usagi. Nice to meet you."

"Um, yes, it's nice to meet you."

There was an uncomfortable moment. Muffled laughter came from Momiji's direction.

Usagi glared at him. "Well, thanks for the support. What should I say now?"

"Oh, well I'd like to know how you two met!" Tohru offered.

"Really?" Usagi asked doubtfully and then changed her tone to one of interest. "Really? Okay then. My parents wanted me to stop sitting around doing nothing so they forced me to take violin lessons. I thought it was really stupid at first, but Mo-sensei was really good and um…yeah. I guess I was inspired?"

"Yes, I have heard Momiji play before and he is quite good!" Tohru agreed.

Momiji giggled. "Oh, both of you! Stop it!"

"No, really, you are excellent! I've downloaded some files of other musicians and they're just not as good as you are! Which is why I taped you and sent it in to the National Symphony as an audition piece."

Momiji's mouth dropped open. "You _what_?"

"You should be getting a letter to see if they want you to come audition in person any day now," she continued.

Tohru watched as Momiji's face lit up and he hugged Usagi tightly.

"You're crazy, you know that!"

Usagi giggled in Momiji's arms. "You knew that when you asked me on a date, so don't start complaining now!"

Tohru smiled at the image before her. She couldn't really understand Usagi's character, but she seemed very nice and had a pleasing aura about her. Not to mention the fact that Momiji had never looked happier. Tohru was very glad that they had found each other.

"…so once I graduate, I'll be able to come to all your concerts. Maybe I'll even move out there! You'll have to keep giving me lessons of course and—"

"Graduate?" Tohru interrupted suddenly, and then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry! I didn't mean to intrude on your conversation! Are you at a university?"

Usagi laughed. "No! I'm a third year in high school. You honestly thought I was older? I thought the 'rebellious red hair' would give away that I'm much younger…"

"EHH?" Tohru shrieked in shock.

"She's actually one of my older students," Momiji explained. "Usually I teach younger children, but…"

"I appeared?" Usagi offered with a wry grin. "Although I don't regret it," she blushed.

"That's good, because I don't either," Momiji whispered as he clasped her hand.

"So, um, Momiji-kun, how is your sister doing? Oh!" Tohru berated herself, wondering if she should have spoken for fear of how much Usagi actually knew about Momiji's familial situation.

"It's alright. Momiji already told me about his mother's accident and how she and his sister don't know about him," Usagi spoke up softly. "It's so…sad."

"Oh, don't worry about me! I'm fine!" Momiji cut in. "Really!" he insisted at seeing Usagi's face darken. He sighed and eyed Tohru with a small smile. "She just worries too much. Besides, I've seen much more of Momo lately. Father's allowed me to teach her some things on the violin as well, since she begged so much! I really am very lucky!"

"Baka Mo-sensei!" Usagi cried as she abruptly flung herself at Momiji and hugged him fiercely. He held her tenderly as he patted her back. Tohru's eyes welled with tears. Yes, they made a perfect match! It seemed that Usagi understood Momiji's pain, and he finally had someone to worry about _him_ for a change. It was a wonderful thing, love.

"Tohru!"

She gasped and spun around. A smile grew on her face as Kyo trotted into view, but then it receded at his expression.

"Kyo-kun? What's the matter?"

"It's Jari. He's disappeared!"

Yuki inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly. He repeated his actions as Machi gave him a conciliatory smile. They both knew what was coming, and were mentally preparing themselves for the worst.

"YUUUKKIIII!!"

Kyoko and Harumi were playing near Yuki and Machi when they heard the yell. Kyoko looked confused.

"Who was that?" she asked curiously, poking her head up.

Harumi grinned widely. "That's my Uncle Aaya. My daddy says that his voice is so loud that it can't be human!"

"Really? I think I've met him before then! My dad always got annoyed by him!"

"I can hardly blame him," Yuki muttered, overhearing their conversation.

"Daddy, that _is_ Uncle Aay-AHHH!" Harumi started but she was immediately swept up into said uncle's arms and twirled in the air.

"My favorite niece! Do not fear! I have heard your desperate longing for me, and I have answered your pleas by appearing before you, resplendent in robes befitting only your true and perfect uncle!"

Harumi squealed. "Uncle Aaya!"

"Tell me, Harumi, where shall I take you? Surely we must ascend to your castle in the sky where I can wait upon you like a princess!"

"I don't have a castle in the sky!" Harumi giggled as Ayame set her back down.

"Are you sure? Because I heard from the fairies that you had at last assumed your royal throne and needed some gifts to ensure your reign!"

"You're going a little too far with this," Yuki sighed as he ran a hand down his face.

"Oh, Yuki, I didn't see you there!" Ayame exclaimed suddenly.

"You screamed my name from across the room," Yuki pointed out.

Ayame waved his hand idly. "Details, details! Not important! Now who is this charming young lady?"

"Hello, Ayame-san!" Kyoko greeted him.

Ayame huffed. "Don't be so polite, dear! Just like your mother! Ah, well, I can't blame you for that. I was just looking for her, actually. I've had an idea for a dress that I was thinking of making for you…"

"A dress? For me? Really?" Kyoko cried excitedly. "Would it have animals on it?"

Ayame blinked. "What?"

"Well, I'd want to use the dress to feel like a princess of the Zodiac animals!"

Ayame chortled. "Oh my! Although…" he trailed off as a spark gleamed in his eye.

"I'm here! What's your idea?" Mine appeared suddenly with a notebook in hand, recognizing the telltale look in her husband's eye.

"I see a dress with ruffles, and on each is sewn the patch of one of the Zodiac animals…" Ayame spoke in a hushed tone as the gears in his brain visibly turned.

"Where did you come from, Mine-san?"

Mine jotted down Ayame's notes, scribbling furiously. She looked up and smiled when he paused.

"I was just around admiring the place. And well…what everyone was wearing."

"Ah."

"Oh! Ayame-san! Don't forget to include the cat!"

Yuki smiled down at Kyoko as Ayame looked surprised. "You, too? You really are just like your mother."

"Well of course she would emulate the beauty that is Tohru-kun!" Ayame admonished. "And I'll make sure to include the cat," he added to Kyoko, winking pointedly.

"Good!" Kyoko declared.

As Mine finished writing down Ayame's final notes, Ayame approached Yuki and clapped him hard on the back.

"Oh my dear brother, how have you been since my absence? Pining for me?"

"Not really," Yuki answered dryly.

"And how is my brother's dear wife faring? You look absolutely stunning tonight!"

Machi blushed. "T-thank you, Ayame."

"What size are you, by the way?"

Machi blinked. "What?"

"Well, I was thinking of starting a mother-daughter line. You and Harumi, Tohru-kun and Kyoko-chan etcetera. I think it would sell brilliantly. Now what did you say your measurements were?"

Machi looked horrified as Yuki rolled his eyes. "Okay, why don't we worry about this some other time?"

"Well, my darling Yuki, I'm afraid that I must maintain my status quo as top doting uncle, so as such, I must make dresses like my life depends on it! Which I must add, is a harrowing way to live!"

"You're still fighting with Kakeru over who's the better uncle?" Yuki muttered in exasperation.

"The better uncle? Why, I wasn't aware that there even was a competition," Ayame announced with his nose in the air.

"You can win for all I care," Machi added. "Kakeru deserves to be knocked down a peg."

"Really? I can win? Then I declare myself the ultimate victor for Harumi's love!"

"But Uncle Aaya, I love you both!" Harumi said with a giggle.

"Harumi, you don't know what you're saying! Surely you don't love that other idiotic—"

"Okay!" Yuki stepped in. "Don't listen to Uncle Aaya!" He glared pointedly at his brother.

"Ah, what a gallant prince you are! Rescuing your daughter and her innocent friend from the harsh words of a criminal mastermind! What a wretched being he was, to spout such wicked, ugly words! It was a good thing that the light of my angelic brother was present to stifle the terrible, gnawing hunger of the darkness!"

"…You realize that you are talking about yourself?"

"So, Uncle Aaya, you wanna play with us?" Harumi asked in a shrill voice.

Ayame snuffled. "An invitation from the royal princess herself? Oh, I would be delighted!"

"We're playing Zodiac animals!" Kyoko stated.

"You sure like them a lot, don't you, sweetie?" Ayame asked.

Kyoko nodded vigorously. "I've loved them ever since my mommy told me the story! They're so…great!"

"And I like them, too!" Harumi added. "My favorite is the tiger! Grrr!"

"Really? But surely you must like the snake?" Ayame asked tentatively.

Both girls paused for a moment, and then they simultaneously scrunched up their faces in disgust.

"I don't really like snakes," Kyoko said.

"Me neither! They're gross and slimy!" Harumi instantly agreed.

Ayame clutched his heart and fell to the floor, gagging. "No, I have been betrayed!" he wheezed pathetically.

Yuki muffled his laughter behind his hand. Well, he tried to. Eventually he couldn't help but snort at the completely horror-struck expression on his brother's face. "Don't worry, nii-san. I'm sure that isn't supposed to reflect on you!" he choked out.

Ayame glanced at Yuki as the color drained from his face. He looked haunted all of a sudden.

"Are you sure?" he breathed raggedly.

"Of course! Harumi, what about the rat?"

Harumi blinked. "I love the rat! It's so cute and little and soft!"

Ayame crashed to the floor as Yuki's face turned bright red behind his desperate attempt to hide his laughter. Beside him, Machi began to giggle shyly. Before, she and Mine had exchanged utterly confused glances as to why their husbands were comparing themselves to Zodiac animals, but now she was just glad to see Yuki laughing. It had been quite some time since had come so close to losing it like this!

"Ayame!" Mine cried out as she knelt beside her comatose husband.

"Mine, are you there?" Ayame spoke weakly, blinking rapidly.

"Yes, my love, I am here!" Mine returned tearfully.

"I can barely hear you. You're so far away…"

"Don't leave me! I'm right here for you, always!" Mine pleaded desperately.

"Mine, I think I see a light…it's so bright and beautiful…I feel as if I must move toward it…"

Yuki rolled his eyes at this dramatic scene as Harumi threw herself on her uncle.

"Uncle Aaya! Don't go! You'll be okay! What if I said that I liked snakes?"

Ayame instantly sat up and beamed widely, engulfing his niece in a strangling hug.

"You mean it? Oh I love you so much!"

"Uncle Aaya, I can't breathe!" Harumi complained.

"Kyoko!" called a voice.

Kyoko perked up. "Mommy?"

An instant later, a worried Kyo and Tohru emerged from the crowd. Tohru ran to Kyoko and hugged her.

"Kyoko, sweetie, have you seen your brother anywhere?" she asked tremulously.

"Jari? No, I haven't seen him at all. What's wrong?"

Yuki glanced up at Kyo's face and knew the answer. "You can't find him, can you?"

Kyo glared at him but nodded.

"It's all my fault! I promised to keep two eyes on him but—" Tohru cried out.

"But I was the one with him!" Kyo interrupted fiercely, releasing a frustrated noise. "I _told_ him not to leave this room!"

"Orangey, where is my son?" came a furious voice. An enraged Mayuko, trailed by Hatori, parted the crowd. "I'm pregnant and I'm angry! You better tell me where my son is right now!"

Kyo shook his head helplessly. "I don't kno—"

"Mommy! Daddy!" cried a voice. The group turned as one to see Shigure and Akito enter the room, with Jari trailing slightly behind and Taro on Shigure's shoulders.

Taro was the one who had spoken. He waved his hands, laughing, as Shigure reached up to ensure that he wouldn't fall off in utter happiness at being reunited with his parents.

"Taro!" Mayuko returned, but Hatori had already made his way to his son and was helping pry him off Shigure's shoulders.

"Hi Daddy! Did you see me all the way up there? That was fun, Uncle Shigure!" Taro said excitedly.

Hatori grinned as Taro went over and embraced his mother. As Jari returned to face his mother's welcoming arms and his father's stern expression, Hatori couldn't help but shake his head at Shigure.

"Since when did you have fatherly instincts?" he asked his friend.

Shigure grinned slyly. "Since I decided that your son is the cutest thing in the world."

"You can't have him, you know," Hatori reminded him.

"Like I'd let you even _think_ something like that!" Mayuko added as she stomped over to her husband and glared at Shigure.

"Aww, Mayu-chan! You're so mean!" Shigure whined.

"Because you deserve it!" she hissed.

Hatori smirked as he held his wife steadily. "It's alright, dear. Taro's fine."

"I know," Mayuko replied, sighing. "Ugh, I'm exhausted!"

"Why don't we go sit down then?" Hatori suggested.

"Well, actually, I have an announcement to make," Akito spoke up timidly. "If you could gather the others, plus Tohru, Hatori?"

Hatori nodded and smiled at his wife. "We'll be right back." He went up to the stage and grabbed the microphone. The Zodiacs replied instantly to his summons and they all filtered into an antechamber on the side of the hall.

As Akito stood before the group, she bit her lip nervously. "I am very glad that you were all able to come. Despite what you may think of me, I am happy to see all of you. Shigure and I have been talking for some time and, well…we've decided to go on a trip."

There was silence. Then Momiji spoke up.

"Where are you going?"

"We were thinking around the world!" Shigure cut in, smiling devilishly. "The Sohmas do have quite a large bank account. I think we could afford it."

"What are you planning on doing?" Hatsuharu asked.

Shigure shrugged. "Anything. Everything. We'll have to see."

"Why now? And why the entire world?" Hiro demanded.

"I just…" Akito began unsurely, and then sighed. "I've been highly sheltered, as you all know, and well, I'd like to see more of the world."

"But you don't have to go!" Tohru cried out, stepping forward.

Akito smiled warmly at her. "I know that. But I want to. I know that many years have passed since the curse was broken, and as much as we've all moved on with our lives, including me, it's still a part of us. We still share a bond: our pasts. I don't want to forget that we are connected, but I know that some memories are more painful than others. I did some…horrible…things for which I may never be forgiven, but for right now, I want to experience life and replace some of those things with happier memories. Staying here within the Sohma compound just won't allow that to happen."

"But what of your health?" Kisa asked.

Akito directed another smile in her direction. "I think even Hatori can attest that I've been doing very well lately. I haven't had much more than a cold in a few years now."

All eyes turned to a nodding Hatori. "It's true," he stated simply.

Shigure clapped his hands together. "It's settled then! Everyone should wish us 'bon voyage!'"

"We're still going to celebrate New Years, right?" Tohru asked.

"They wouldn't have arranged this whole party to leave right in the middle!" Kyo said with a grin, bopping her affectionately on the head.

Tohru blushed sheepishly but looked happier nonetheless. "I'm going to miss you, Akito-san and Shigure-san!"

"Me too," Kisa agreed.

"I think we all will," Yuki said softly.

Akito's eyes glistened with tears. "Thank you," she murmured, overcome with emotion.

Shigure draped his arms around her shoulders. "But first we're going to have to get our 'kid fix' before the little tykes tire themselves out!" he declared. Hatori eyed him strangely. "What?" he demanded, offended. "Your little Taro inspired me! We won't be seeing them for a while!"

"All right," Hatori relented with a small smile. "But be careful around Mayuko."

"And Mitsuru!" Ritsu finally spoke up.

Shigure blinked. "Mitchan's here?"

Ritsu struggled for an answer. "Y-yes, I'm sorry! I'm afraid she's planning something involving murder…"

Shigure laughed. "Finally! I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Hatori raised an eyebrow at him. "You have problems."

"Indeed I do, Haa-san, indeed I do."

And so passed the rest of the evening. Shigure and Akito kept their promise by playing with the children until it grew late and they grew sleepy. In an adjoining room, the little ones were tucked away with their dreams as the adults spent time catching up with one another on their lives. It was amazing at how far they had all come, and they all knew that so much remained in store for them.

And as Akito watched the sun rise beside Shigure, she felt a twinge of sadness. She really would miss them all. They had all played such a huge part in who she was, and she was almost afraid to let them go. She knew, though, that this was the right thing to do. This is what she _wanted_ to do, after all. It would just be a little lonelier…

Suddenly, she was hugged from behind and she glanced back to see Tohru embracing her. She returned the gesture and her eyes widened as the Zodiacs, one by one, approached her and repeated Tohru's actions. Even Rin hugged her quickly before darting back to her husband's side.

Tears streamed down her face as the sun rose in a blur of orange-red colors. Shigure leaned in close to kiss a few tears away.

"I told you not to worry so much, my love," he whispered.

Akito chuckled and burrowed herself into Shigure's body. There, embraced in his warmth, she and the others welcomed the New Year.

* * *

…and unbeknownst to all of them (except an unconscious Ritsu draped inelegantly against a column) Mitsuru was steadily approaching Shigure from behind with a knife outstretched in her hand, gleaming deadly in the sunlight…

Just kidding! ; p

* * *

_A/N: Haha, I couldn't resist that bit at the end! I was just like "Wow, Mitchan and Shigure are going to be in the same room…and he kind of made her want to kill herself…" So that was rather fun! And yes, I've effectively written Kagura out of the story…hehe. I don't know why, but I think she's one of my least favorite characters in this manga series. When she's with the others, I just don't know what to do with her, so she miraculously moved to America, haha! That's one way to deal with that! Also, if you were wondering what the Zodiacs do for jobs, I have no idea whatsoever. Notice that I've been rather vague on that point. I just can't think of anything creative enough, except for Momiji, whose job was inspired from the actual manga. If you people have any ideas on that matter, feel free to share! _

_On that note, actually, I realize that this chapter didn't incorporate any of the ideas from my reviewers that I previously requested. Despite the fact that I only really got one idea from reviewers, this chapter went so long that I decided against using it yet. And seeing as there was only one, I WELCOME MORE!! Please be just a tad bit detailed with them too! Any little detail helps me formulate even more cuteness, so that would be much appreciated!_

_Thanks again, and sorry about all the author's notes, haha! Hope you enjoyed this! I would like to know your opinions on some things though, like Usagi's character (which I'm still figuring out) so please review!_


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